US Tightens Reins on Chinese Chipmakers with New Sanctions

The United States government has notably strengthened its trade restrictions against China by adding two Chinese semiconductor firms to its trade blacklist. The targeted companies were implicated in acquiring American chipmaking equipment for Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation (SMIC), a major player in China's chip industry. This move was detailed in a federal notice issued on Friday.

GMC Semiconductor Technology (Wuxi) Co and Jicun Semiconductor Technology now join a larger list of 32 entities facing trade restrictions. These sanctions are in part due to their involvement in supplying technology relevant to China's military and advanced computing initiatives. The U.S. Commerce Department has made it clear that these actions are in response to security concerns.

In addition to the Chinese firms, entities from countries such as India, Iran, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates were also added to the blacklist. The listing is part of a broader strategy to curb the transfer of sensitive technologies to nations seen as threats to U.S. national security.