> then what do these export controls do, other than impose paperwork and misery on anyone who is dealing with any US supplier? They make the French supplier th

> then what do these export controls do, other than impose paperwork and misery on anyone who is dealing with any US supplier? They make the French supplier the only supplier, granting them a monopoly and making it impossible for china to source the parts at current market rates. Do you know how difficult it is to get ordinary, commonly-available stuff shipped to your door in a friendly country like Saudi Arabia? Think about that hassle, but on a governmental level. It's not a national security goal. It's a diplomacy goal. Now it's fine to ask whether or not private US companies should be roped into doing the state department's dirty work, of course, but that's a different conversation.