The Wassenaar Arrangement, also known as the Wassenaar Arrangement on Export Controls for Conventional Arms and Dual-Use Goods and Technologies, is a multilateral agreement for the control of exports of military equipment and goods for both civilian and military use. Its name is derived from the suburb of The Hague where the agreement was negotiated. Its founding members are 33 countries – including Japan, Switzerland, Canada, the USA, France, the Netherlands and Germany.
China is not a member. Similar to its predecessor Comecon (Warsaw Pact) countries, lists of arms-related goods are maintained. The countries themselves decide whether to reject or approve requests for supplies from third countries but are obliged to inform the other member states via the administration in Vienna.
