US Cracks Down on Chinese Companies for Security Concerns

The Biden administration on Thursday added 36 companies and organizations, including a major Chinese chip maker, to a so-called entity list that will severely restrict their access to certain products, software and technologies. The action, which is aimed at further stymieing China's efforts to develop advanced semiconductors, is the latest step in the Biden administration's campaign to clamp down on China's access to technologies that could be used for military purposes. Administration officials say that China has increasingly blurred the lines between its military and civilian industries, prompting the United States to place restrictions on doing business with Chinese companies that may feed into Beijing's military ambitions. In October, the administration announced sweeping limits on semiconductor exports to China, both from companies within the United States and in other countries that use American technology to make those products. "Today we are building on the actions we took in October to protect U.S. national security by severely restricting the PRC's ability to leverage artificial intelligence, advanced computing, and other powerful, commercially available technologies for military modernization and human rights abuses," Alan Estevez, the under secretary of commerce for industry and security, said in a statement, referring to the People's Republic of China.