China tells manufacturers to stop using Micron chips, stepping up feud with US

Stepping up a feud with Washington over technology and security Chinas government on Sunday told users of computer equipment deemed sensitive to stop buying products from the biggest US memory chipmaker Micron Technology IncMicron products have unspecified serious network security risks that pose hazards to Chinas information infrastructure and affect national security the Cyberspace Administration of China said on its websiteIts sixsentence statement gave no detailsOperators of critical information infrastructure in China should stop purchasing products from Micron Co the agency saidThe United States Europe and Japan are reducing Chinese access to advanced chipmaking and other technology they say might be used in weapons at a time when President Xi Jinpings government has threatened to attack Taiwan and is increasingly assertive toward Japan and other neighboursChinese officials have warned of unspecified consequences but appear to be struggling to find ways to retaliate without hurting Chinas smartphone producers and other industries and efforts to develop its own processor chip suppliersAn official review of Micron under Chinas increasingly stringent information security laws was announced April 4 hours after Japan joined Washington in imposing restrictions on Chinese access to technology to make processor chips on security groundsForeign companies have been rattled by police raids on two consulting firms Bain amp Co and Capvision and a due diligence firm Mintz Group Chinese authorities have declined to explain the raids but said foreign companies are obliged to obey the lawBusiness groups and the US government have appealed to authorities to explain newly expanded legal restrictions on information and how they will be enforcedSundays announcement appeared to try to reassure foreign companiesChina firmly promotes highlevel opening up to the outside world and as long as it complies with Chinese laws and regulations welcomes enterprises and various platform products and services from various countries to enter the Chinese market the cyberspace agency saidXi accused Washington in March of trying to block Chinas development He called on the public to dare to fightAlso readAAP Chief Kejriwal to meet Uddhav Pawar in Mumbai in bid to forge Opposition unityDespite that Beijing has been slow to retaliate possibly to avoid disrupting Chinese industries that assemble most of the worlds smartphones tablet computers and other consumer electronicsThey import more than 300 billion worth of foreign chips every yearBeijing is pouring billions of dollars into trying to accelerate chip development and reduce the need for foreign technologyChinese foundries can supply lowend chips used in autos and home appliances but cant support smartphones artificial intelligence and other advanced applicationsThe conflict has prompted warnings the world might decouple or split into separate spheres with incompatible technology standards that mean computers smartphones and other products from one region wouldnt work in others That would raise costs and might slow innovationUSChinese relations are at their lowest level in decades due to disputes over security Beijings treatment of Hong Kong and Muslim ethnic minorities territorial disputes and Chinas multibilliondollar trade surplusesThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever