Last week, the House held its long-awaited “China Week” to vote on a series of legislation targeting various aspects of the U.S.-China relationship. The bills targeted national security, economic relations, technology, the...more
Between July 24–26, trade ministers, members of the diplomatic corps and other stakeholders came to Washington, D.C., for the annual African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) Forum. This year’s forum, “Beyond 2025:...more
Yesterday, following the completion of the Section 301 review by the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR), President Joe Biden announced a series of tariff hikes on a wide range of Chinese goods, including...more
On Saturday, April 20, the House voted on a series of five separate bills, three of which would provide emergency funding to Israel, Ukraine and the Indo-Pacific, a fourth so-called “sidecar” spending bill that would cover a...more
On April 17, the Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) released General License (GL) 44A, requiring the wind down of business transactions with Venezuela’s state-owned energy company Petróleos...more
The 28th iteration of the Conference of Parties (COP28) under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change will take place in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, from Nov. 30–Dec. 12, 2023. The meeting brings together...more
On Monday, Oct. 30, President Biden signed an Executive Order (EO) on the Safe, Secure and Trustworthy Development and Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI). The EO is intended to establish safety standards for leading...more
The African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), first enacted in May 2000, provides tariff-free treatment of U.S. imports of goods sourced from certain sub-Saharan African countries. AGOA is intended to bolster economic growth...more
On Sept. 21, Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen co-hosted the Inaugural U.S. Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment (PGII) Investor Forum. President Joe Biden formally...more
On Aug. 9, 2023, President Biden signed an executive order (EO) that creates a policy to report and, in some cases, restrict outbound investments in national security technologies and products from the United States into...more
Biden Issues Outbound Investment Executive Order. On Aug. 9, President Joe Biden issued a long-awaited executive order (EO) that prohibits some U.S. investments in China. The EO will require reporting for certain transactions...more
Senate Adopts Outbound Investment NDAA Provision. On July 25, the Senate approved an amendment to the FY 2024 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) filed by Sens. John Cornyn (R-TX) and Bob Casey (D-PA) that would require...more
China Issues Restrictions on Critical Mineral Exports. On July 3, China’s Ministry of Commerce announced restrictions on the export of gallium and germanium-related products required for the manufacturing of semiconductors,...more
Secretary Yellen to Travel to Beijing. Unnamed Biden administration officials have reported Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen is planning to travel to Beijing in early July for meetings with CCP Vice Premier He Lifeng...more
7/14/2023
/ Belarus ,
China ,
Exports ,
Imports ,
India ,
Janet Yellen ,
Semiconductors ,
Singapore ,
Supply Chain ,
Trade Relations ,
US Trade Policies ,
Vladimir Putin
Secretary Blinken to Travel to Beijing. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is planning to travel to Beijing on June 18-19 for meetings with senior PRC officials, the first visit to China by a U.S. Secretary of State since...more
6/30/2023
/ Biden Administration ,
China ,
Cross-Border Transactions ,
Foreign Acquisitions ,
Foreign Investment ,
Foreign Policy ,
National Security ,
Popular ,
Technology Sector ,
Trade Policy ,
Ways and Means Committee
China Rejects U.S. Request for Defense Chief Meeting. The Chinese government has declined a U.S. request for a meeting between the defense chiefs for the two nations, according to an announcement from the Pentagon. The...more
On Thursday, May 11, 2023, the House of Representatives passed the Secure the Boarder Act of 2023 (H.R. 2). The legislation lays out Republican priorities on immigration and contains passages focused on increasing security at...more
China Sends Peace Envoy to Ukraine after Xi and Zelenskyy Speak: Chinese President Xi Jinping spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday, marking the first time the two leaders have spoken with each other...more
While the Biden administration has refrained from releasing a formal China strategy, recent speeches on U.S.-China relations by Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan have provided key...more
Taiwan Says China Plans to Briefly Close Airspace. Taiwan’s defense minister warned that China is planning to close Taiwanese airspace for 30 minutes next week because of a falling object from a satellite launch vehicle....more
House and Senate to Push Ahead on TikTok Legislation. Coming off of a high-profile hearing in the House Energy and Commerce Committee last week in which both Democrats and Republicans sharply questioned TikTok’s CEO Shou...more
House China Select Committee Holds First Hearing. The House Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party (China Select Committee) will hold its first hearing on...more
On Feb. 24, 2023, the White House announced a slate of additional sanctions against Russia, marking the one-year anniversary of the invasion of Ukraine. The additional sanctions follow President Biden’s recent travel to Kyiv...more
2/27/2023
/ Biden Administration ,
Defense Sector ,
Economic Sanctions ,
Export Controls ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Financial Transactions ,
Foreign Policy ,
Foreign Trade Regulations ,
Military Conflict ,
Russia ,
Technology Sector ,
U.S. Treasury ,
Ukraine ,
Vladimir Putin
On Dec. 21, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy traveled to Washington, D.C., the leader’s first trip outside of Ukraine since Russia invaded the country in February, to shore up continued support for the ongoing war...more
The Biden administration hosted the second U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit, Dec. 13–15, in Washington, D.C.; this event was the corollary to a similar summit hosted by President Obama in 2014. The summit, which included...more
12/19/2022
/ Africa ,
Biden Administration ,
Energy Sector ,
Foreign Investment ,
Healthcare ,
Infrastructure ,
Innovation ,
International Relations ,
Minerals ,
Popular ,
US-Africa Business Summit