Dual-use export Controls

In News

• India and the United States (US) discussed export control issues related to items of dual use, ahead of the first meeting of the US-India Strategic Trade Dialogue (USISTD).

What is Dual Use export control?

• Dual-use items are goods and technologies that may be used for both civilian and military purposes. 
• Dual-use export controls cover a wide range of products and technologies and affect not only manufacturers but also transport providers, academia and research institutions. 
  • Dual use export licenses are required in certain situations involving national security, foreign policy, short-supply, nuclear non-proliferation, missile technology, chemical and biological weapons, regional stability, crime control, or terrorist concerns. 
• Their key contribution to international security has been helping to prevent the supply of goods and technologies that may contribute to illegal weapons of mass destruction programmes. However, in recent years there has been an increased focus on the role they can play in other areas, including preventing acts of terrorism and human rights abuses and controlling the trade in cyber-surveillance systems.
• SIPRI’s work on dual-use export controls focuses on the development and implementation of national laws and regulations, United Nations and European Union arms embargoes, the EU Dual-Use Regulation, the Wassenaar Arrangement, the Missile Technology Control Regime, the Nuclear Suppliers Group, the Australia Group and UN Security Council Resolution 1540.

US-India Strategic Trade Dialogue

• Recently, India and the US launched an initiative called the India-US Strategic Trade Dialogue which is an official government-to-government arrangement to deepen the engagement around the area of aligning export controls and information sharing.
• It will address export controls, explore ways of enhancing high technology commerce, and facilitate technology transfer between the two countries.
• The dialogue would prove a building block for the Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technology (iCET).

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