Japan to Restrict Advanced Computer Chip Sales in July
Posted on 04/10/2023
Last year, the U.S. began restricting the sale of computer chip technology to China. Now Japan is following suit. “It is to prevent our technology from being diverted to military use,” said Economy, Industry and Trade Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura. Equipment that produces and manages chips will be included in the ban. Mao Ning, a spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, said the proposed ban would “hurt others,” and “oneself.”
China can produce its own chips, but it struggles with high end technologies. The production of AI-integrated technologies is a particular challenge. China specializes in the types of processors found in cars, dishwashers, and consumer technologies. The Dutch company ASML is not selling its UV-light machine to China, and it is essential for cutting edge chip making. China would have to not only have these machines, but have wide cooperation from a range of countries involved in the process including the U.S., which has been accusing China with spying through apps and stealing technological secrets for years. Chinese military applications and weapons systems are also at risk of falling behind in the coming years unless access can be gained to the latest technologies. A CCP government representative called the action “wrong.”
The battle against the Chinese purchase of U.S. chip technology began under President Trump and has intensified under Biden.
