On November 19, 2018, the US Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) issued a proposed rulemaking seeking public comment on criteria for identifying emerging technologies that are essential to U.S....more
The Committee on Foreign Investments in the United States (CFIUS) is an inter-agency committee designed to review foreign investments that raise national security concerns. While you may have seen CFIUS play a role in prior...more
While there is increasing scrutiny, transactions continue to be reviewed and cleared by CFIUS, even where a Chinese entity is involved.
Upcoming legislative changes will expand the definition of a “covered transaction”...more
On August 8, 2018, the State Department announced that it had concluded that Russia was responsible for poisoning former double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia using the nerve agent Novichok and that it had sent a...more
House and Senate negotiators have agreed on proposed reforms to the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) foreign investment review process, which has been added as Title XVII of the FY2019 National...more
Hundreds of American companies may have inadvertently become “foreign persons” for CFIUS purposes, at risk of being caught up in the Trump Administration’s restrictions on foreign investment.
Many people know that the...more
7/9/2018
/ Acquisitions ,
CFIUS ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Covered Transactions ,
Cross-Border Transactions ,
FINSA ,
Foreign Acquisitions ,
Foreign Investment ,
Foreign Persons ,
Joint Venture ,
Merger Controls ,
National Security ,
National Security Review Proceedings ,
Risk Mitigation
On May 23, 2018, as directed by President Trump, the Secretary of Commerce initiated a Section 232 investigation into whether imports of automobiles, including SUVs, vans, light trucks and automotive parts, threaten to impair...more
Recent reports suggest that the Administration may declare an emergency under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) to grant the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) authority to...more
“Dozens of Transactions Were Cleared” -
Contrary to popular belief, most China-U.S.deals are still getting done. Even the Trump Administration recognizes CFIUS should not close the door to investment from China. The...more
4/11/2018
/ CFIUS ,
China ,
Critical Infrastructure Sectors ,
Department of Defense (DOD) ,
Foreign Acquisitions ,
Foreign Investment ,
Mergers ,
National Security ,
Risk Assessment ,
Section 301 ,
Trade Relations ,
Trump Administration ,
USTR
Following U.S. Trade Representative’s Section 301 investigation, presidential order threatens tariff increases and restrictions on Chinese inbound investment.
Tariff rises of 25 percent proposed, including for aerospace,...more
3/26/2018
/ Antitrust Provisions ,
China ,
Foreign Acquisitions ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
National Security ,
Section 301 ,
Tariffs ,
Technology Sector ,
Trump Administration ,
USTR ,
WTO
On March 8, 2018, President Trump signed proclamations authorizing the imposition of a 25 percent customs duty on certain steel products and a 10 percent customs duty on certain aluminum products. The duties were imposed...more
No, the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States has not put a halt to acquisitions of U.S. companies by China-based purchasers.
Three recently cleared transactions illustrate that CFIUS is not standing in the...more
2/13/2018
/ Acquisitions ,
CFIUS ,
China ,
Cross-Border Transactions ,
Foreign Acquisitions ,
Foreign Investment ,
Hong Kong Stock Exchange ,
Manufacturers ,
Mergers ,
National Security ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Risk Assessment ,
Subsidiaries ,
Trump Administration
On November 8, 2017, members of the U.S. House and Senate introduced companion legislation that would update the Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S. (“CFIUS”) and the national security review process. The bill,...more
The expanding influx of foreign investments in U.S. real estate has drawn the attention of three key U.S. Senators amid national security concerns. Senators Ron Wyden (D-OR), ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee;...more
As the Trump Administration continues to examine its trade relationship with China, legislators in Congress are looking to modernize the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) review process in order to...more
On April 19, 2017, the Department of Commerce (DOC), through its Bureau of Industry and Security, self-initiated an investigation into the effects that steel imports may be having on U.S. national security interests. The...more
On November 16, 2016, the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission (USCC) issued its 2016 Annual Report to Congress, which included 20 recommendations on Congressional action to be used for assessing progress and...more
On April 1, 2015, President Obama issued a groundbreaking Executive Order (E.O.) enabling the United States to sanction persons that have (1) participated in malicious cyber-enabled activities constituting a “significant...more