Citing national security concerns, China has implemented a ban on the use of chips produced by the U.S. company Micron.
"The [Chinese Communist Party] accuses U.S. technology exports of posing security risks while targeting our critical infrastructure with cyber attacks themselves," U.S. Rep. Mark Green (R-TN), chairman of House Homeland GOP, said in a May 23 post on Twitter. "This is exactly why we need more safety measures in place."
The Cyberspace Administration of China has recently declared a prohibition on the utilization of chips manufactured by the American company Micron, the Associated Press reported. The decision is based on national security apprehensions following Micron's failure to pass a thorough security evaluation. Mao Ning, the spokesperson for the foreign ministry, affirmed that the security review of Micron products was conducted in compliance with legal procedures, AP said.
The ban that has been implemented specifically targets the utilization of Micron chips in computers responsible for processing sensitive information. In light of this ban, Micron is presently assessing the decision and has communicated its commitment to maintaining an ongoing dialogue with Chinese authorities, as reported by Forbes.
In January, the access of Chinese technology for producing advanced processor chips was restricted by Washington, Japan, and the Netherlands due to security concerns due to the Communist Party of China's aggression towards other Asian countries. Mao Ning, spokesperson and deputy director of information at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China, expressed dissatisfaction with the United States, citing over 1,200 Chinese companies being subjected to security-based restrictions without any evidence, according to Fortune.
“We remain unclear as to what security concerns exist,” said Micron chief financial officer Mark Murphy on a JP Morgan technology industry conference call, the Associated Press reported. “We’ve had no complaints from customers on the security of our products.”
"The Commerce Department should immediately add ChangXin Memory Technologies (CXMT) to the entity list and ensure no U.S. technology, regardless of specifications, goes to CXMT, YMTC, or other PRC firms operating in this industry," Mike Gallagher, chairman of Select Committee on China, said in a statement. "The Commerce Department should also ensure no U.S.-export licenses granted to foreign semiconductor memory firms operating in the PRC are used to backfill Micron, and our South Korean allies, who have experienced exactly this kind of CCP economic coercion firsthand in recent years, should likewise act to prevent backfilling. We must respond quickly and decisively to show the PRC the free world cannot be divided and will not be intimidated.”
