(JW Insights) Oct 19 -- China expressed strong dissatisfaction over, and opposition to, the latest US chip export control measures, with officials and experts saying on October 18 that such curbs would further disrupt the global semiconductor industry chain and harm the interests of multinational corporations in the industry, reported China Daily.
On October 17, the US government intensified restrictions on chip exports to China, a move that the US semiconductor industry has been strongly lobbying against due to fears of market uncertainty.
The Semiconductor Industry Association, which represents 99 percent of the US semiconductor industry by revenue, criticized the rules in a statement on the same day.
A spokesperson of China's Ministry of Commerce said the United States constantly overstretches the concept of national security, abuses export control measures and resorts to unilateral bullying acts, which China is strongly dissatisfied with and firmly objects to.
The US should remove its controls on semiconductor exports to China without delay and create a fair, just and predictable business environment for enterprises of all countries, including Chinese enterprises, the spokesperson said.
Washington's latest rules are an update to the export controls imposed by the US Commerce Department a year ago to stop China from acquiring advanced computer chips and related equipment to manufacture them.
The latest rules broaden the controls by including slightly less powerful chips than those covered under the previous rules and expand the previous list of manufacturing equipment.
The US Commerce Department included more Chinese chip companies, including Beijing Biren Technology Development Co Ltd and Moore Thread Intelligent Technology (Beijing) Co Ltd, on a trade blacklist.
The CEOs of major US chip companies such as Nvidia, Qualcomm and Intel visited Washington in July to voice their concerns over the export controls, as China is not just the world's largest chip market but also a key link in US chip companies' supply chains.
Dutch chip manufacturing equipment provider ASML Holding NV said the latest US regulations will be applicable to a limited number of factories on the Chinese mainland engaged in advanced semiconductor manufacturing, according to the China Daily report.
(Gao J/Yuan XY)
