Hindustan Times

December 23, 2020

Lawmakers urge US govt to further tighten restrictions on China’s SMIC

The lawmakers are concerned because the restrictions apply only to technology “uniquely” required to produce semiconductors at 10 nanometers and below. The administration “seems to be allowing SMIC access to nearly all semiconductor manufacturing equipment,” they wrote.

Two key Republican lawmakers on Tuesday urged the Trump administration to strengthen new rules adopted Friday aimed at preventing China’s biggest chipmaker SMIC from getting access to advanced US technology.

Senator Marco Rubio and Representative Michael McCaul said the Entity List designation by the US Commerce Department was not strict enough and should be rewritten to close “dangerous loopholes that would allow nearly all sales to SMIC to continue without restriction and support the (Chinese Communist Party’s) stated goal of military preeminence.” The letter said they were concerned that without changes the rules would be “utterly ineffective in addressing this growing national security threat.”

The Commerce Department declined to comment, but Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said Friday the designation was a “necessary measure to ensure that China, through its national champion SMIC, is not able to leverage US technologies to enable indigenous advanced technology levels to support its destabilizing military activities.”

The lawmakers are concerned because the restrictions apply only to technology “uniquely” required to produce semiconductors at 10 nanometers and below. The administration “seems to be allowing SMIC access to nearly all semiconductor manufacturing equipment,” they wrote.

The lawmakers said they were concerned the new rules were “done for show and parochial commercial interests at the expense of US national security.”

SMIC said Sunday that being put on a US trade blacklist would pose a significant adverse impact to its research and development in its 10-nanometer and more advanced chip technology, but said it did not expect the US decision to have a major negative impact on its short-term operations and finances.

France will reopen its borders to passengers from England on Wednesday, ending a blockade intended to stop the spread of a new coronavirus variant, but which has held up thousands of lorries before Christmas.

Much of the world shut its borders to Britain after a significantly more transmissible mutated coronavirus variant was discovered spreading swiftly across southern England.

With queues of trucks snaking to the horizon in England and some supermarket shelves stripped just days before Christmas, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson scrambled to get French President Emmanuel Macron to lift a ban on freight from Britain.

Late on Tuesday a deal was reached with Paris to allow French and other EU residents to return home, providing they have a negative Covid test that is less than 72 hours old.

Britain said it would begin handing out tests at multiple locations on Wednesday, but cautioned that the process would take time.

“We’ll be making sure that tomorrow we’re out there providing tests,” Shapps said. “This will take two or three days for things to be cleared.”

Link: https://www.hindustantimes.com/travel/france-to-reopen-border-with-england-for-covid-clear-travellers/story-Pa7Ob4mp1soYxS3ks6TXoJ.html

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