By Stephen Nellis
(Reuters) – U.S. export controls on shipping advanced computer chips to China are not intended to slow China’s economy or technological development, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Friday. from an interview with National Public Radio.
Since 2022, U.S. authorities have imposed draconian controls on computer chips that can be exported to China, cutting off some sales from Nvidia, Advanced Micro Devices and Intel, among others. These controls followed earlier bans on chip shipments to Huawei Technologies.
But U.S. authorities have granted at least two American companies — Intel and Qualcomm — licenses to continue shipping chips to Huawei, which is using an Intel chip to power a new laptop model. Two Republican lawmakers criticized Intel’s exemption earlier this week, but in the NPR interview, Blinken stressed that the device was a sign that the United States was not trying to hinder China.
“I saw that Huawei just came out with a new laptop that they were bragging about being AI capable, and it uses an Intel chip,” Blink told NPR host Steve Inskeep during his visit to Beijing. “I think this demonstrates that we are focused only on the most sensitive technology that could pose a threat to our security. We are not seeking to disrupt trade, or even contain or restrain China.”
Intel and Qualcomm’s sales licenses to Huawei were granted during President Donald Trump’s administration and remained in place under President Joe Biden. These companies’ direct competitors, AMD and MediaTek, have not been granted similar exemptions, and neither the Trump nor Biden administrations have explained why.
(Reporting by Stephen Nellis in San Francisco; Editing by Sandra Maler)
