China bans US chip company Micron because it poses a risk to national security
Tensions: China’s cyberspace regulator has banned US chip company Micron
China has banned a US microchip company alleging it endangered national security as tensions continue to rise between the countries.
The communist state’s cyberspace regulator announced that operators would no longer be allowed to purchase products from Micron after the Idaho-based company failed a safety assessment.
US officials condemned the move as being “basically based on nothing” and said their companies’ “recent raids and attacks” contradicted China’s claims that it was an open market.
The escalating tit-for-tat comes after Washington restricted the export of its most advanced computer chips to prevent them from being used to enhance China’s military capabilities.
China is an important market for Micron, with its chips mainly concentrated in smartphones and PCs.
Both the mainland and Hong Kong reportedly generated a quarter of their £25 billion turnover last year. A spokesperson for Micron said they were “assessing” their next steps.