Estevez did not explicitly mention further sanctions on Huawei and SMIC, But he expressed concern that China could employ the advanced 7-nanometer technology in military applications.
Export Control Measures
The recent announcement of additional export control measures by the Biden administration reflects their commitment to tighten China’s access to advanced semiconductors, particularly those capable of training AI algorithms and chipmaking equipment. These measures also require companies to obtain licenses for selling chips to over 40 countries to prevent China from obtaining them indirectly.
Despite these efforts, Chinese firms still have access to overseas cloud computing services to train their AI models, a challenge that Estevez acknowledged needs further attention. While export controls are a vital mechanism for certain issues, they might not be the ideal tool to address potential attempts by Chinese companies to flood the global market with lower-end chips.
Estevez mentioned alternatives such as countervailing duties, 232 investigations, and 301 investigations, which enable the U.S. to investigate and respond to unfair trade practices and imports affecting national security.
