China claims that the US memory chip manufacturer Micron Technology’s products pose a threat to national security.
The country’s cyberspace regulator declared on Sunday, May 21, 2023, that the nation’s largest memory chip manufacturer presents “serious network security risks.”
In the second-largest economy in the world, it means that the firm’s products will be prohibited from being used in significant infrastructure projects.
As tensions between Beijing and Washington rise, this counts as China’s first major action against a US chip manufacturer.
The announcement is the most recent development in a dispute that is intensifying between the US and China over technology that is vital to economies all over the world.
As a result of the protracted dispute, Washington has taken a number of actions against Beijing’s chip manufacturing industry and invested billions of dollars to expand the semiconductor industry in the United States.
In a statement, the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) stated: “The review found that Micron’s products have serious network security risks, which pose significant security risks to China’s critical information infrastructure supply chain, affecting China’s national security.”
The CAC withheld information regarding the risks it claimed to have discovered and the specific Micron products in which they were located.
A spokesperson for Micron told news reporters that the company had “received the CAC’s notice following its review of Micron products sold in China.”.
“We are evaluating the conclusion and assessing our next steps. We look forward to continuing to engage in discussions with Chinese authorities,” they added.
In response, the US government declared that it would cooperate with allies to resolve the “distortions of the memory chip market caused by China’s actions”.
A spokesperson for the US Commerce Department said, “We firmly oppose restrictions that have no basis in fact.
“This action, along with recent raids and targeting of other American firms, is inconsistent with [China’s] assertions that it is opening its markets and committed to a transparent regulatory framework.”
Source: BBC
