The administration of US President Joe Biden is imposing new export controls on critical technologies including quantum computing and semiconductor goods, aligning the US with allies working to thwart advancements in China and other adversarial nations.
The rules target quantum computers and components, advanced chipmaking tools, a cutting-edge semiconductor technology called gate-all-around, and various components and software related to metals and metal alloys. They cover all worldwide exports, but include exemptions for nations that implement similar measures. That group includes Japan and the Netherlands, among other allies, and the US anticipates that more nations would follow, the US Department of Commerce said in a statement.
Washington has been cracking down for years on China and other adversaries’ ability to access cutting-edge technologies needed for artificial intelligence (AI), over fears that advanced chips and components could lend Beijing a military edge.
Photo: ASML via Reuters
The US effort has included unilateral measures that Washington has tried to coordinate with a handful of key allies — such as sweeping semiconductor export controls first imposed in 2022 — as well as restrictions negotiated through a broader international framework, such as those issued on Thursday.
“Aligning our controls on quantum and other advanced technologies makes it significantly more difficult for our adversaries to develop and deploy these technologies in ways that threaten our collective security,” US Undersecretary of Commerce for Industry and Security Alan Estevez said in a statement.
Thursday’s action opens a 60-day public comment period before officials issue a final rule.
The US has separately been working on a massive new package of chip-related export controls that would target China’s access to so-called high-bandwidth memory chips, an essential AI component, as well as a range of semiconductor manufacturing tools, Bloomberg has reported.
That effort includes measures with a global focus — but with exemptions for key allies including Japan and the Netherlands, home to two of the most important companies in the chip supply chain.
In related news, the Dutch government yesterday announced broader restrictions on exports of machines that produce semiconductors.
The measure, to take effect today, is set to have a further impact on Dutch technology giant ASML Holding NV, a global leader in the cutting-edge industry.
“I’ve made this decision for reasons of security,” Dutch Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation Reinette Klever said in a statement. “We see that technological advances have given rise to increased security risks associated with the export of this specific manufacturing equipment, especially in the current geopolitical context.”
The new restrictions would apply to “more types of equipment” on top of curbs that have been in force since September last year, the government said.
ASML would have to apply for government authorization to export the machines.
The Dutch government said that the equipment can be used to produce advanced semiconductors which “in turn play a key role in advanced military applications.”
Additional reporting by AFP
NATIONAL SECURITY: The Chinese influencer shared multiple videos on social media in which she claimed Taiwan is a part of China and supported its annexation Freedom of speech does not allow comments by Chinese residents in Taiwan that compromise national security or social stability, the nation’s top officials said yesterday, after the National Immigration Agency (NIA) revoked the residency permit of a Chinese influencer who published videos advocating China annexing Taiwan by force. Taiwan welcomes all foreigners to settle here and make families so long as they “love the land and people of Taiwan,” Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) told lawmakers during a plenary session at the Legislative Yuan in Taipei. The public power of the government must be asserted when necessary and the Ministry of
CROSSED A LINE: While entertainers working in China have made pro-China statements before, this time it seriously affected the nation’s security and interests, a source said The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) late on Saturday night condemned the comments of Taiwanese entertainers who reposted Chinese statements denigrating Taiwan’s sovereignty. The nation’s cross-strait affairs authority issued the statement after several Taiwanese entertainers, including Patty Hou (侯佩岑), Ouyang Nana (歐陽娜娜) and Michelle Chen (陳妍希), on Friday and Saturday shared on their respective Sina Weibo (微博) accounts a post by state broadcaster China Central Television. The post showed an image of a map of Taiwan along with the five stars of the Chinese flag, and the message: “Taiwan is never a country. It never was and never will be.” The post followed remarks
Proposed amendments would forbid the use of all personal electronic devices during school hours in high schools and below, starting from the next school year in August, the Ministry of Education said on Monday. The Regulations on the Use of Mobile Devices at Educational Facilities up to High Schools (高級中等以下學校校園行動載具使用原則) state that mobile devices — defined as mobile phones, laptops, tablets, smartwatches or other wearables — should be turned off at school. The changes would stipulate that use of such devices during class is forbidden, and the devices should be handed to a teacher or the school for safekeeping. The amendments also say
CONSISTENT COMMITMENT: The American Institute in Taiwan director said that the US would expand investment and trade relationships to make both nations more prosperous The US would not abandon its commitment to Taiwan, and would make Taiwan safer, stronger and more prosperous, American Institute in Taiwan Director Raymond Greene said. “The US’ commitment to Taiwan has been consistent over many administrations and over many years, and we will not abandon our commitment to Taiwan, including our opposition to any attempt to use force or coercion to change Taiwan’s status,” he said in an exclusive interview with the Liberty Times (the sister newspaper of the Taipei Times) on Friday last week, which was published in the Chinese-language newspaper yesterday. The US would double down on its efforts