Export Administration Act of 1979 and Computer Exports to China

摘要

The importance of computers to the US military and national defense is significant and multifaceted. The statute that regulates computer exports, the Export Administration Act of 1979 (EAA79), has been interpreted both strictly and loosely by policymakers, executive agencies, and export control regimes. The result has been a persistent struggle in balancing the competing interests of national security and commerce. An urgent need exists to rewrite EAA79, yet Congress has not been able to come to a consensus due to overlapping and conflicting committee interests within and across the chambers. While Congress continues to debate rewriting EAA79, the President has been able to adjust the impact of US export control laws on foreign countries, utilizing export controls as means of advancing US foreign policy abroad. In the case of the People's Republic of China, the White House has loosened export controls for high-performance computers to that country in order to encourage free trade and private enterprise.