China curbs exports of key computer chip materials

By Natalie Sherman, Annabelle Liang, andamp

investigators for company

The export of two essential materials used to make laptop cards are under tighter control by the Chinese government.

Specific licenses will be required starting next month to import germanium and gallium from China, the largest metal producer in the world.

Washington’s efforts to restrict Chinese exposure to some cutting-edge microchips are what led to this.

The news comes just weeks before US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen’s high-stakes excursion to Beijing.

The limitations were required to” safeguard national security and interests ,” according to China’s Ministry of Commerce on Monday.

Government, communications, and semiconductor equipment all use silver metals. They play a significant role in goods like thermal panel.

Semiconductors, which power everything from military equipment to mobile devices, are at the center of a contentious conflict between the two biggest economies in the world.

The US has taken action to limit China’s access to technology, including bits for artificial intelligence and computation, which it fears could be used for military purposes.

No matter where cards are made in the world, Washington announced in October that it would require licenses for businesses exporting chips to China using US equipment or program.

Places like the Netherlands and Japan have joined the efforts.

The Netherlands announced last week that it may limit exports of specific semiconductor production machinery.

This came after the Netherlands announced earlier this year that it would limit its” most advanced” chip technology imports.

The controls are anticipated to have an impact on French scrap equipment manufacturer ASML, a significant player in the global chip supply chain.

In the meantime, Japan intends to limit some of its imports of computer chips.

23 different types of semiconductor production technology may be impacted by the steps, which were revealed in March.

In response to export restrictions imposed by Washington, China has often referred to the US as a” software hegemony.”

Beijing has placed limitations on US companies connected to the British government in recent months, including aviation company Lockheed Martin.

Janet Yellen, the US Treasury Secretary, has issued a warning against severing economic relations between Washington and Beijing. She is scheduled to visit China for four days starting on Thursday.

It would be devastating for us to try to detach from China, she said during a speech before Congress next month.” I believe we benefit and China benefits from trade and investment that is as empty as possible.”

The next senior US official to travel to the nation this year will be Ms. Yellen.

High-level negotiations between the two nations were resumed in June when US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing.