China has banned merchandise offered by US chipmaker big Micron, citing cybersecurity considerations.
The Our on-line world Administration of China announced the choice on Could 21, 2023, following a cybersecurity review of Micron products offered in China that was initiated in March 2023.
Within the assertion, the Chinese language authorities stated the evaluation had flagged “critical cybersecurity issues” with Micron merchandise, “which posed main dangers to China’s important info infrastructure provide chain and affected China’s nationwide safety.”
In consequence, “operators of important info infrastructure in China ought to cease buying Micron merchandise.”
The particular cybersecurity considerations weren’t defined, though the Our on-line world Administration of China cited the nation’s cyber and knowledge safety legal guidelines as the rationale.
The US Commerce Division was quick to condemn the decision, stating: “We’ve got seen the announcement by the Individuals’s Republic of China (PRC) relating to Micron. We firmly oppose restrictions that haven’t any foundation in truth. This motion, together with latest raids and focusing on of different American companies, is inconsistent with the PRC’s assertions that it’s opening its markets and dedicated to a clear regulatory framework.”
The US authorities company added that it is going to be partaking with allies and companions “to make sure we’re carefully coordinated to deal with distortions of the reminiscence chip market brought on by China’s actions.”
Chatting with the Wall Street Journal, Micron stated it’s “evaluating the choice” and searching “ahead to persevering with to have interaction with discussions with Chinese language authorities.”
The announcement has come amid rising geopolitical tensions between the US and China, which has spilt over into fields equivalent to semiconductor chip manufacturing and cybersecurity.
For instance, the US has positioned heavy restrictions on semiconductor gross sales to Chinese language tech big Huawei in recent times, whereas the identical firm has faced substantial restrictions on access to countries like the US and UK.
Moreover, the EU, US, Canada and others have recently issued restrictions on the use of Chinese language social media website TikTok.
These choices are a results of considerations concerning the hyperlinks and knowledge sharing relationships between the Chinese language authorities and personal corporations primarily based within the area.
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