In a recent interview with National Public Radio, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken emphasized that the strict export controls on advanced computer chips to China are not aimed at harming China’s economy or technological development. The US has been implementing these controls since 2022, affecting sales from companies like Nvidia, AMD, and Intel, following a previous ban on chip shipments to Huawei Technologies.
Despite these controls, the US has granted at least two licenses to Intel and Qualcomm to continue shipping chips to Huawei. This has raised concerns among some Republican Party Congressmen, who worry that these exceptions could undermine efforts to restrict trade with China. However, Blinken clarified that these exceptions are based on national security concerns and are not intended to hinder China’s technology development.
The licenses granted to Intel and Qualcomm to sell to Huawei were authorized during the Trump administration and remain in effect under President Biden. It is worth noting that competitors like AMD and MediaTek did not receive similar exceptions, raising questions as to why these decisions were made by both administrations. Blinken’s comments during his visit to Beijing sought to reassure China that the US’s focus is on security concerns and not on restricting trade with China.