China has come under fire from the United States for limiting sales of chips from American company Micron. The move follows Washington’s own restrictions on China’s access to high-end chips last year, citing national security concerns. The latest action by China’s cybersecurity watchdog instructs operators of “critical information infrastructure” to stop buying from Micron, one of the world’s largest chip manufacturers. Micron’s products “have relatively serious potential network security issues, which pose a major security risk to China’s critical information infrastructure supply chain and affect China’s national security,” said the cybersecurity administration in a statement.
The US State Department has criticised the move, saying it was inconsistent with the PRC’s claims to be open for business and committed to a transparent regulatory framework. State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said that the Commerce Department was addressing US concerns with China. Beijing’s decision came just ahead of a visit to Washington by Commerce Minister Wang Wentao, in what was a rare trip by a senior official from Beijing. The Netherlands and Japan have also announced their own restrictions on exports of specialised semiconductor technology, but without specifically naming China.
