Sharing perspectives on achievements and challenges relating to export controls of dual-use items and technologies
1st workshop of the Technical Expert Working Group on Dual-Use Trade Controls
A ground-breaking new project, jointly carried out by Saferworld and Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation (CAITEC) of China’s Ministry of Commerce, looks at ‘Strengthening Technical and Operational Aspects of Chinese Dual-Use and Arms Trade Controls’. The project examines the opportunities and challenges that China and other leading producers and exporters of arms and dual-use goods and technologies have in promoting and further strengthening export controls. A technical expert working group (TEWG) including four Chinese officials and four officials from Korea, Russia, the UK and the US has been established to support the activities under this project. The TEWG members will meet in Beijing, London and Vienna during the project cycle and engage in several training workshops and policy dialogues.
This briefing presents the outcomes of the 1st workshop of the TEWG on Dual-Use Trade Controls, which was held in Beijing on 18 September 2015. During the workshop, TEWG members shared experiences and discussed areas of common interest, including the implementation and enforcement of export controls, with a focus on dual-use items and technologies and relevant international standards and best practices.
Participants gained valuable insights into topics such as: the legal basis of export controls, licence reviewing procedures, item-classification procedures, and internal compliance programmes. Emerging challenges and opportunities for cooperation were also discussed. Under this project, the implementing partners have established an informal dialogue that engages experts from China and other leading producers and exporters of dual-use goods and technologies, trying to explore how implementation and enforcement of dual-use trade controls can be strengthened and mutually reinforced.
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“Workshop participants highlighted the challenges of implementing catch-all controls to ensure that problematic dual-use exports... are capable of being tracked, discussed with the recipient government, or even denied as an export transaction.”
Technical Expert Working Group on Dual-Use Trade Controls
