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CNN
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The Chinese government has criticized the United States’ introduction of new export controls on U.S.-made semiconductors that Washington fears Beijing could use to make the next generation of weapons and artificial intelligence (AI) systems.
The new measures, unveiled by the outgoing Biden administration, have raised the political temperature between the world’s two largest economies ahead of the imminent inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump. Chinese leader Xi Jinping has made self-sufficiency a major pillar of his economic strategy aimed at making China a technological superpower.
On Monday, the U.S. Commerce Department announced restrictions on the sale of two dozen types of semiconductor manufacturing equipment and restrictions on many Chinese companies’ access to U.S. technology.
The goal of the new controls, U.S. Commerce Department officials said, was to slow China’s development of advanced AI tools that could be used in war and undermine the domestic semi-automatic industry. drivers, threatening the national security of the United States and its allies.
China’s Commerce Ministry condemned the move, accusing the United States of “abusing” export controls and posing “a significant threat” to the stability of global industrial and supply chains.
“The United States preaches one thing while practicing another, overexpanding the concept of national security, abusing export controls, and engaging in unilateral intimidation. China firmly opposes such actions,” the ministry said in a statement. Monday Statement.
One day later, it’s forbidden the outright sale of a number of materials crucial to the production of semiconductors and electric vehicle batteries in the United States. The export of gallium, germanium, antimony and other “super hard” materials will not be allowed because they could be used for military purposes, according to the ministry.
China had restricted selling some of these materials last year, as the technological rivalry between the two sides intensified. However, companies previously had the option of applying for special permits to export to the United States, a loophole that now appears to be closed.
The race for advantage in military technology has shaped relations between the United States and China, amid growing US concerns about a possible Chinese invasion of Taiwan in coming years. The ruling Chinese Communist Party, which claims the self-ruled democratic island as its own territory even though it has never controlled it, has taken an increasingly aggressive stance toward Taiwan in recent years.
Senior U.S. officials have also accused China of outright stealing U.S.-made AI software, which Beijing denies.
“These are the strictest controls ever put in place by the United States to degrade the PRC’s ability to manufacture the most advanced chips it uses in its military modernization,” the PRC told reporters on Sunday. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, using the acronym for the country’s official. name, the People’s Republic of China.
The new rules include restrictions on the sale of high-bandwidth memory chips, which are essential for high-end applications such as generative AI training, as well as new software and technology controls.
Monday’s announcement is the third round of export restrictions imposed on Beijing by the Biden administration in as many years. Last October, the Ministry of Commerce reduces types of semiconductors that American companies can sell to China, citing the desire to fill the gaps in the regulations announced in 2022.
In September, the Commerce Department separately proposed a ban on the sale or import of smart vehicles using specific Chinese or Russian technology, citing security concerns. The new Trump administration has also been tough on China, including threatening tariffs.
For its part, China is intensifying its objective of dominating the advanced technologies of the future. In May, Beijing announced plans to establish its largest semiconductor public investment fund, worth $47.5 billion.
With investments from six of the country’s largest state-owned banks, including ICBC and China Construction Bank, the fund underlines Xi’s drive to strengthen China’s position as a tech giant.