Rep. Rob Wittman (R-VA) said the Department of Commerce continues to approve the majority of requests from China for technology and information, which poses a national security risk to the U.S., especially with the blurred lines between China’s private and public sectors.
“Now more than ever, we must prevent China from gaining access to critical emerging and foundational technologies developed in the United States and protect our own national security interests,” Wittman said in a statement provided to State Newswire. “China’s civil-military fusion blurs the definition of a military-end user that currently informs U.S. export restrictions. If the Department of Commerce remains unable to take appropriate action, then other entities with a greater sense for risk posed by China’s military expansion must step in.”
Wittman cosponsors the Prioritizing National Security in Export Controls Act, which was introduced by Rep. Jim Banks, (R-IN), in October, according to Congress.gov. The bill aims to strengthen export controls and ensure that China doesn’t acquire sensitive technology related to U.S. national security by transferring the export control responsibility from the Bureau of Industry and Security, which is part of the Department of Commerce, to the Defense Technology and Security Administration, which is part of the Department of Defense.
Critics accused the Commerce Department of prioritizing commercial interests over national security by approving almost all requests from China for technology and information related to semiconductors, aerospace, artificial intelligence, and other materials, the Wall Street Journal reported. In 2020, the U.S. exported a total of $125 billion worth of goods to China. Commerce Department officials required a license for less than one-half of one percent of those exports. Out of that 0.5%, the department approved 94% of the requests for technology transfers to China – 2,652 requests. Critics have expressed concerns that these transfers could advance China's military capabilities.
“I have no problem trading with or feeding China. I have a huge problem with arming China,” Steve Coonen, the former top China export-controls analyst at the Pentagon, said in 2021 after resigning over the policy, the Wall Street Journal reported.
Some are concerned that attempts to regulate or restrict the export-control process will be pointless unless allies such as South Korea agree to enact the same policies, according to the Wall Street Journal article. The process of aligning controls with allies could take years, which creates concerns that because of the blurred lines between China’s private and public sectors, there is no guarantee that technology sent to China will not be utilized by the military. Matt Pottinger, deputy national security adviser to former President Donald Trump, said the Bureau of Industry and Security “has struggled to reconcile its mission to protect U.S. national security with the Commerce Department’s objective of promoting U.S. exports. The dilemma is most acute when it comes to China.”
Wittman has represented Virginia's 1st Congressional District since 2007. He serves as vice ranking member of the House Armed Services Committee and ranking member of the Seapower and Projection Forces Subcommittee.
