United States Defends Export Controls on Computer Chips to China: National Security, Not Economic Harm”.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken clarified in an interview with National Public Radio on April 26 that the purpose of US export controls over advanced computer chips to China is not to harm China’s economy or technological development. The US has been imposing strict controls on the export of computer chips to China since 2022, affecting sales from companies such as Nvidia, AMD, and Intel.

Despite these controls, the US has granted at least two licenses to Intel and Qualcomm to continue shipping chips to Huawei Technologies. This move has raised concerns among some Republican Party Congressmen, who believe that it undermines the sanctions imposed on Huawei by the Trump administration. However, Blinken emphasized during his visit to Beijing that these exceptions are based on national security concerns and are not intended to hinder China’s technology development.

It is worth noting that competitors like AMD and MediaTek did not receive similar exceptions, raising questions as to why these decisions were made by both administrations. Blinken’s comments sought to reassure China that the US’s focus is on security concerns and not on restricting trade with China.