Bessent: US Considering Export Controls on Software to China

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent confirmed on Oct. 22 that the United States is weighing export controls on software and aircraft engines to China if Beijing does not agree to alter its policies in the upcoming trade talks. “I will confirm that everything is on the table, that we are going into the negotiations with good intentions [and] with great respect,” Bessent told White House reporters during a press briefing. President Donald Trump first raised the possibility of restricting China’s access to critical software after the Chinese regime announced it would be widely restricting its export of products containing rare earths mined or processed in China. That move is expected to be highly disruptive to many industries, as China accounts for more than 90 percent of the processing of rare earths....