US Pressures China with More Chip Restrictions

The US added new restrictions on China’s access to advanced chip technology. The country expanded curbs to cover additional manufacturing and software tools and widened export controls to include equipment made in Singapore.

The latest controls cover China-bound shipments of high-bandwidth memory (HBM) chips and add 140 companies to the US entity list. All but four, two in South Korea and one each in Japan and Singapore, are based in China. US companies cannot do business with those on the list without securing an export license.

The US Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) amended its export regulations by adding new controls for certain advanced computing items. Northern Integrated Circuit Technology Innovation Centre (Beijing) and SMIC Advanced Technology R&D (Shanghai) were added to the list, with BIS claiming they attempted to acquire US tools or components, which risk supporting the production of advanced-node ICs at facilities of entities on the list.

In a document, BIS stated the companies were determined to be acting contrary to the national security and foreign policy interests of the US. China’s Foreign Ministry representative Lin Jian noted in a daily briefing the move disrupts international economic and trade order, and destabilizes global industrial and supply chains. “China firmly opposes the US’ overstretching the concept of national security, abusing export controls, and maliciously blocking and suppressing China,” he said.