Source: Global Times
[Global Times reporter Xing Xiaojing and Jin Huizhen] The US government included 31 Chinese companies, research institutions and other groups on the so-called "unverified list" on the 7th, restricting their ability to obtain certain regulated U.S. semiconductor technology. Bloomberg said the new restrictions are aimed at preventing Beijing from developing its own chip industry and enhancing its military capabilities. In response, Bai Ming, deputy director of the International Market Research Institute of the Ministry of Commerce Research Institute, told the reporter of " Global Times " that this is the United States' "systemic suppression" of China, and the purpose is to prevent China's high-tech industry from becoming bigger and stronger.
Bloomberg said the U.S. Department of Commerce added more entities’ names to its deemed “unverified list,” meaning it does not know where the products of these entities are ultimately used. All 31 entities are from China, meaning U.S. suppliers will face new obstacles when selling technology to these entities. The New York Times quoted people familiar with the relevant plans as saying that the U.S. government will also announce new restrictions on the sale of advanced computing chips, chip manufacturing equipment and other products to China, thereby weakening Beijing's ability to obtain key technologies needed to go from supercomputing to weapons. Some Chinese companies are expected to face restrictions similar to those taken by the Trump administration against Huawei .
Regarding this latest list, Bai Ming told the Global Times reporter on the 7th that it can be seen that the United States is not suppressing China in the production link of some high-tech products, but is trying to "bottleneck" in a series of links including R&D institutions that support the development of high-tech industries. This is the United States' "systemic suppression" of China, and the purpose is to prevent China's high-tech industry from becoming bigger and stronger. Bai Ming said that we should not "treat the head when we have a headache, but should take systematic anti-suppression measures. Taking the chip industry as an example, make up for the shortcomings in the entire chain, rather than a certain part. Although these measures may not be effective immediately, laying a solid foundation will also help future independent research and development to fly higher.
Previously, Reuters html had an exclusive report on the 36th that the U.S. Department of Commerce plans to release new restrictions on China's technology exports this week, which may prohibit U.S. suppliers from providing equipment to Chinese manufacturers that produce advanced DRAM and NAND chips. Reuters quoted sources as saying that the new restrictions target two chip manufacturers in China, one is to produce DRAM chips that hold information from applications when the system is used, and the other is to produce NAND flash chips for data and file storage. If a U.S. supplier sells cutting-edge production equipment to Chinese local chip manufacturers to produce DRAM chips of 18 nanometers or less, NAND flash chips of 128 layers or more, and logic chips of 14 nanometers or less, they must apply for a license and will be subject to strict scrutiny. Some experts say that once these new restrictions are released, it will mark the first time that the United States has suppressed the memory chip , which has no special military use, produced by China through export controls, and this also represents the United States' renewed expansion of the so-called "national security" concept. Reuters said that China's Changjiang Storage Technology Co., Ltd. and Changxin Storage Technology Co., Ltd. will be affected.
Reuters said that the Chinese Embassy in the United States called the US Department of Commerce's move "technology hegemony" on the 6th. The United States is using "technology strength" to restrict and suppress the development of emerging markets and developing countries in . As of press time, White House , the US Department of Commerce and related companies have not responded to this matter.
Bai Ming said that the US restriction of Chinese companies will definitely cause trouble to related industries, such as difficulty in purchasing key parts, or small quantities and high prices, but these difficulties are not insurmountable. Bai Ming said that the United States imposed sanctions on China will also suffer its own consequences and will have an impact on some American suppliers. Reuters' report on the 6th also said that major chip manufacturing equipment suppliers such as Panlin Group and Applied Materials Company may be affected by the new restrictions on the US Department of Commerce.
It is worth noting that sources told Reuters that the U.S. government may "open the internet" against South Korean memory chip manufacturers Samsung and SK Hynix , because providing production equipment to foreign companies producing advanced memory chips in China may pass the U.S. Department of Commerce review. "Our goal is not to harm non-Chinese local companies," said a person familiar with the matter. According to a consulting firm, 25% of SK Hynix's NAND wafer production and 38% of Samsung's NAND wafer production are located in China, and about 50% of SK Hynix's DRAM production are located in China. Reuters said the move could alleviate concerns among South Korean memory chip manufacturers. However, they remain worried that such a case-by-case standard of review is far from giving a clear green light to ship U.S. equipment to Chinese factories. Yonghap News Agency said that the South Korean government plans to negotiate with the US government on the issue of "approval procedures" to ensure the normal operation of factories in South Korea in China.
Bai Ming believes that the South Korean government has not yet made a clear statement to join the "chip four-party alliance" that the United States has forced to pull. The South Korean side previously said that even if it joins the chip alliance, it is by no means targeting China. The United States is clearly trying to bypass South Korea, which is obviously trying to win over South Korea. South Korea has huge business interests in China. Assuming that forced South Korea to cut off from China may be contrary to expectations, the United States may adopt a "differentiated policy" against South Korean companies.
