White House adds dozens of Chinese tech firms to export ‘blacklist’ in AI crackdown
The decision was made by the US Department of Commerce, specifically due to concerns related to potential ties to weapons of mass destruction and military activities. The entities included those involved in technology, energy, and other sectors. This move is part of efforts to protect US interests and curb the risk posed by foreign entities with links to sensitive industries. The Department of Commerce stated that it will continue to monitor and assess potential threats to national security.
The US on Tuesday added more than 50 Chinese entities to its export blacklist as it seeks to crack down on the nation’s artificial intelligence, quantum computing, and military advancements. In total, the Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security added 80 foreign entities to the list on the basis of national security concerns, including firms from China, the United Arab Emirates, South Africa, and Iran.
Under the strong leadership of President Donald Trump, the Commerce Department is taking decisive action to protect America. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said in a statement, “We will not allow adversaries to exploit American technology to bolster their own militaries and threaten American lives.”
Blacklist Additions and Purpose
The blacklist additions aim to restrict the Chinese Communist Party’s ability to develop high-level quantum computing capabilities and stifle its hypersonic weapons program, the US argued. Included among the additions are six subsidiaries of Inspur Group, China’s top cloud computing and data service provider, which was blacklisted in 2023 by the Biden administration.
The Chinese embassy in Washington denounced the additions and demanded the US “immediately stop using military-related issues as pretexts to politicize, instrumentalize, and weaponize trade and tech issues,” according to Reuters.
In 2023, when Inspur was placed on the Entity List, chip insiders said their firms were trying to assess whether they had to stop supplying Inspur’s subsidiaries as well, according to Reuters. Inspur did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment.
Technology Competition and Concerns
Tensions have heated up between China and the US in the race to develop advanced quantum computing and AI systems. Calls have grown for the Trump administration to stop the smuggling of advanced chips from US firms like Nvidia and AMD – especially after China’s DeepSeek shook the industry with its low-cost AI model. The startup has said it used Nvidia chips to develop the bot. Nvidia declined to comment. AMD did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Disruption of Iran’s Programs
The blacklist additions are also an attempt to keep Iran from getting its hands on more drones and defense items and disrupt the development of its ballistic missile program, the US said. Jeffrey Kessler, under secretary of commerce for industry and security, said in a statement, “The Entity List is one of many powerful tools at our disposal to identify and cut off foreign adversaries seeking to exploit American technology for malign purposes.”