Consumer tech products barely figure at all on the list of 352 exclusions from Section 301 tariffs on China that were reinstated Wednesday by the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative. Of the newly granted 352 exclusions -- about 64% of those that were "eligible" for reinstatement because they previously had been extended -- most had expired at the end of 2020, but some had lapsed by midyear 2021.

The U.S. can’t go it alone on protecting technologies like 5G and supply chains and needs to work with Asia, Michael Green, Center for Strategic and International Studies senior vice president-Asia, said during a CSIS webinar Wednesday. Speakers warned the U.S. faces steep challenges if wants to separate the U.S. and Chinese economies to reduce risks.

Expect members of the Senate Commerce, Finance, Homeland Security and Foreign Affairs committees to be named as China bill conferees (see 2203220074), Senate Commerce Committee Chair Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., told reporters after Wednesday’s chips hearing.

Europe doesn't appear to be looking into communication companies' ties with Russia beyond sanctioning Russia Today and Sputnik, stakeholders said.

Supply chain constraints are not expected to moderate until 2023, said Snap One CEO John Heyman on a Q4 earnings call Tuesday. The company had expected in late fall that its supply chain issues would start to ease in second-half 2022, but “inflationary pressures,” events in Ukraine and a resurgence of COVID-19 in China, with resulting plant shutdowns, “have caused us more recent concern and those things have rippled through the supply chain,” Heyman said.

The past two years have shown that global supply chains “are very vulnerable,” and especially vulnerable to “external shocks” like pandemics and war, Young Tae Kim, secretary-general of the International Transport Forum, told the World Trade Organization’s Global Supply Chains Forum Monday. “Some vulnerabilities are the result of internal factors as well,” he said.

Roku is expanding its platform in its latest operating system to include digital photo frame capabilities and audio clarity features exclusive to Roku speakers and sound bars, the company said Tuesday. It will roll out the upgrade over the next few weeks, it said.

China is unlikely to violate U.S. sanctions against Russia because it fears the consequences of U.S. secondary sanctions, said Kevin Rudd, president of the Asia Society and former Australian prime minister. China also will likely avoid providing military support to Russia, Rudd said, because that could invite similar U.S. sanctions that could hurt its major state-run and private technology companies.

Sen. Todd Young, R-Ind., and Rep. Doris Matsui, D-Calif., expressed optimism Monday that Congress can begin conference negotiations on its China package before the end of the work period, as planned by Senate leadership (see 2203140059).

As advocates of FCC action reallocating the 12 GHz band hope they’re nearing the finishing line, officials with the 5G for 12 GHz Coalition told us Monday the Benton Institute for Broadband & Society joined that group, adding to the push for FCC action. Members of the group said FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel appears to be waiting for the Senate to confirm Gigi Sohn as the third Democrat on the FCC, but if that doesn’t happen soon, they hope the agency will act with the current 2-2 split.