Simon Lester
CFIUS and Korean Government Finishing up Security Review of Chinese Purchase of Korean Semiconductor Company
Based on a review by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States
(CFIUS), President Biden may soon issue a decision to block the purchase of a
South Korean semiconductor company by a Chinese equity fund due to national
security concerns, although the outcome is still uncertain at this
WTO Government Procurement Committee Debates Appointment of Taiwanese Delegate as Chair
At a July 16 meeting of the WTO's Committee on Government Procurement, WTO
Members that are parties to this Agreement debated the appointment of Ms
Liang-Rong Lin of Taiwan [https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/3948974] -- or
the Separate Customs Territory of Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen and
Chinese Telecom Company Challenges Order to Divest Its Canadian Investment
The telecom company China Mobile International (CMI) has filed a legal challenge
to a Canadian government order, issued on the basis of national security
concerns, that it sell off or wind down its Canadian investments. Government
reviews based on security concerns tend to be highly confidential, with little
information available
Democratic Senators Call for Tightening FTA Rules of Origin To Limit Chinese Imports
Three U.S. Senators -- Robert P. Casey, Jr. (D-PA), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), and
Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) -- have called on the Biden administration to tighten up
rules of origin related to U.S. trade agreements. In a recent letter
[https://www.casey.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/letter_
Possible New Section 301 Investigation and China's Response
Last Friday, a number of media reports suggested that the Biden administration
was considering opening a Section 301 investigation into China's industrial
subsidies (see Bloomberg
[https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-09-10/biden-team-weighs-china-trade-probe-in-bid-to-pressure-beijing]
, Financial Times
[https:
China and U.S. Continue Discussion of Waste Import Ban in WTO Import Licensing Committee
In recent years, the United States has raised many fundamental issues related to
China's participation in the WTO, but one smaller issue that has flown under the
radar is China's import ban on solid waste, which continues to be a point of
contention between the two
Three U.S. Senators Call For Penalties Against Chinese “Internet of Things” Company
On September 9, U.S. Senators Marco Rubio (R-FL), Rick Scott (R-FL), and Tom
Cotton (R-AR) sent a letter to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen expressing
concern about Chinese “Internet of Things” (IoT) company Tuya, and asking the
Treasury Department to add Tuya to a “Chinese Military-Industrial