Since late 2018, certain foreign investments in US companies
involved in the production of so-called critical technologies for
use in particular industries have been subject to a mandatory
review by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States,
or CFIUS.
Failure to submit the proposed investment to CFIUS in a
declaration subjects the parties involved in these investments to
potential penalties up to the value of the transaction.
On May 21, the US Department of the Treasury, as chair of CFIUS,
published a proposed rule to modify the trigger for a mandatory
filing to base it more heavily on export control standards.
Under the proposed rule, the current focus on the industries in
which critical technologies are used would be abandoned. Under the
current regulations, a declaration is mandated with respect to
certain foreign investments in a US business that produces,
designs, tests, manufactures, fabricates or develops one or more
critical technologies