TTI denies Chinese military ties by its Hong Kong subsidiary

A draft rule released by the U.S. Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) would add a new ‘Military End-User’ List to its regulations on military-use and end-user export controls. An initial list of entities identified by BIS as “Military End-Users” (MEUs) in the new rule includes TTI Electronics Asia PTE Hong Kong Ltd (TTI HK), a subsidiary of TTI, Inc. “TTI strongly denies that TTI HK is a MEU or that it maintains any ties to Chinese military. We intend to take all available steps to demonstrate to BIS that TTI HK should not be included on the MEU List,” the company writes in a statement. The company goes on stating that the subsidiary is an authorized distributor of various electronic components, none of which is a military or defense item. Or as the company specifies; “TTI HK is not an end user or a manufacturer of any items.” TTI stresses that neither TTI HK – nor any TTI affiliate – engages in dealings with the Chinese military. “In fact, TTI and all of its affiliates, specifically including TTI HK, take extraordinary measures to ensure full compliance with all laws and regulations, including all US export controls requirements. We firmly believe that BIS has wrongly included TTI HK on the newly proposed MEU List,” the statement continues. The company says that it will take all appropriate and available steps to demonstrate to BIS that TTI HK should not be included on the new MEU List.