TMTPOST -- China was said to target drone supplies to the West for Ukraine’s war amid increasing China-U.S. trade risks.
Credit：Chinese newspaper Reference News
Chinese manufacturers recently began restricting sales to the U.S. and Europe of key components used to build unmanned aerial vehicles, Bloomberg reported ,citing people with knowledge of the matter. It is reported that China will impose broader export restrictions on drone parts in the coming year, and the new rules could take the form of license approvals based on the intended use of the components or softer requirements for Chinese companies to notify the government of their shipment plans. The tighter drone curbs are expected to come as soon as January, the report added.
The Chinese authorities didn’t reponde to the report. If the new curbs on drone supplies are accurate, they would be part of Beijing’s response to latest U.S. crackdown on China’s semiconductor industry.
At the beginning of this month, the U.S Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) unveiled a package of rules designed to further impair China’s capability to produce advanced-node semiconductors that can be used in the next generation of advanced weapon systems and in artificial intelligence (AI) and advanced computing.
The rules include new controls on 24 types of semiconductor manufacturing equipment and 3 types of software tools for developing or producing semiconductors; new controls on high-bandwidth memory (HBM); new red flag guidance to address compliance and diversion concerns; 140 Entity List additions and 14 modifications spanning Chinese tool manufacturers, semiconductor fabs, and investment companies involved in advancing the Chinese government’s military modernization; and several critical regulatory changes to enhance the effectiveness of the previous controls, according to a press of the BIS.
China firmly opposes the United States' latest control measures on semiconductor export, a spokesperson with the China’s Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) responded a question about the U.S. government’s new announcement of export control, according to a statement of the ministry on December 2. The spokesperson slammed the move as a typical economic coercion and non-market practice. The spokesperson warned China will take necessary measures to resolutely safeguard its legitimate rights and interests.
Days after the U.S. announcement of new curbs, China’s Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) announced it made a decision to tighten the control over the export of relevant dual-use items to the United States, to safeguard national security and interests and fulfill non-proliferation and other international obligations.
The export of dual-use items to U.S. military users or for military purposes is prohibited. In principle, the dual-use items related to gallium, germanium, antimony and superhard materials is not allowed to export to the United States, while stricter examinations on end-users and end-use purposes are to be conducted regarding exports of the dual-use item of graphite to the United States.
Any organization or individual from any country or region that, in violation of the above provisions, transfers or provides relevant dual-use items originating in China to the United States will be held legally responsible, the MOFCOM said in a statement.
Dual-use items mean goods, technologies and services that may be used for either civil or military purposes or to contribute to an increase in military potential, especially to design, develop, produce or use weapons of mass destruction and their means of delivery.
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