The US is continually examining the need to enhance export controls to prevent China from getting advanced computer chips and industrial equipment that may be used to strengthen its military, according to US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo.
When asked if the US planned to increase chip export curbs to China, Raimondo said at a news conference in the Philippine capital Manila that it was continuously being considered.
“We look at this every single day,” Raimondo said. “Technology is changing faster than ever, which means we have to wake up every day and ask ourselves, ‘Are we doing enough?
My job is to protect the American people and to make sure there are no sophisticated technology, including semiconductor technology, or artificial intelligence technology that we have, that China doesn’t have, that they can’t access and use to enable the Chinese military,” said Raimondo.
The US export limitations were initially implemented in 2022 to prevent the use of semiconductors for military applications such as hypersonic missile research and artificial intelligence.
Last year, the US Commerce Department expanded export limits, prompting complaints from China’s Commerce Ministry that the restrictions breached international trade norms and “seriously threatened the stability of industrial supply chains.”
China stated that it would take “all necessary measures” to protect its rights and interests, and urged Washington to eliminate the export controls as quickly as feasible. In addition, Raimondo stated that the United States will continue to sell billions of dollars in chips to China.
“I want to be clear. We have no interest to de-couple our economies,” she said, but added, “We cannot allow China to have access, for their military advancement, to our more sophisticated technology.”
Also Read: Why US is Finding it Hard to Stop China’s Microchip Advance
