Six months ago, the Bush administration eased some restrictions on the export of politically delicate technologies to China. The new approach was designed to help American companies increase sales of high-tech equipment to China despite tight curbs on sharing technology that might have military applications.

On Wednesday, the administration faced questions from weapons experts about whether some equipment—- newly authorised for export to Chinese companies deemed trustworthy by Washington could help China modernize its military. Equally worrisome, the weapons experts say, is the possibility that China could share the technology with Iran or Syria.

The technologies include advanced aircraft engine parts, navigation systems, telecommunications equipment and sophisticated composite materials.

The questions regarding the policy are in a report to be released shortly by Wisconsin Project on Nuclear Arms Control, an independent research foundation that opposes the spread of arms technologies.

The administration’s new approach is part of an overall drive to require licenses for the export of an expanded list of technologies in aircraft engines, lasers, telecommunications, aircraft materials and other fields of interest to China’s military.

But while imposing license requirements for the transfer of technologies, the administration is also validating certain Chinese companies that may import these technologies without licenses.

Five such companies were designated in October, but as many as a dozen others are in the pipeline for possible future designation.

Mario Mancuso, under secretary of Commerce for Industry and Security, said,”We believe that the system we have set up ensures that we are protecting our national security consistent with our goal of promoting legitimate exports for civilian use”. “We have adopted a consistent, broad-based approach to hedging against helping China’s military modernization.”

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