Enlarge image
US President Joe Biden: A tightening of the export guidelines relating to China is set to come into force on April 4th
Photo:
Allison Joyce/EPA
The US government of Joe Biden is tightening its regulations for the export of highly specialized chips and machines for their production. At the end of last week, it presented a revision of the previous set of rules from October 2023, with which it wanted to prevent the delivery of advanced AI chips to China then and now. The new regulations are due to come into force on Thursday. For example, it makes it clear that the restrictions on chip deliveries also apply to laptops that contain certain chips, writes the Reuters news agency.
China criticized renewed American intervention in the market on Monday. The US move will not only restrict American-Chinese trade, but will also cause great uncertainty in the global semiconductor industry, said a spokesman for the Ministry of Commerce in Beijing. In his view, the US has "expanded the concept of national security, arbitrarily changed the rules and tightened control measures."
Responding to a reporter's question, the spokesman said the US move "seriously affects the mutually beneficial cooperation between Chinese and foreign companies and violates their legitimate rights and interests." China firmly rejects this. The country is ready to work with all parties to "promote the security and stability of the global semiconductor industry and its supply chains," said the spokesman.
As with previous rule changes, the US government justifies its trade restrictions as national security measures. The US export rules set up with China in mind have long affected many companies important in the field of artificial intelligence (AI) and future technology, such as Nvidia and AMD. The US fears that its emerging technology sector could help China strengthen its military.
mboe/Reuters