Key Republican urges US to stop any advanced chips from reaching sanctioned Chinese firms
Moolenaar said weak enforcement could let chip makers send advanced AI chips to Chinese firms and repeat a Sophgo-Huawei export-control failure.
- On Thursday, Republican Congressman John Moolenaar urged the Commerce Department to enforce a chip manufacturer rule, calling it "a critical step in preventing from accessing high-end U.S. chips and preserving America's technological edge."
- The regulation was created "to close the loophole that Huawei and Sophgo exploited," Moolenaar wrote to Jeffrey Kessler, who oversees export controls at the Commerce Department. Chips manufactured at TSMC were discovered inside Huawei AI processors.
- If chip factories like TSMC determine their products are exempt, "it would dramatically increase the risk of another SophGo-like export control failure," Moolenaar said. This scenario could allow untrusted firms to access advanced chip technology.
- Uncertainty about enforcement persists after the Trump administration announced it would not enforce a related Biden-era chip regulation, complicating Moolenaar's push for strict compliance. This policy shift has fueled questions about the administration's commitment to export controls.
- Republican Representative Bill Huizenga criticized Kessler last month over similar concerns, while bipartisan opposition emerged to a separate decision allowing Nvidia to sell advanced AI chips to China. Broader congressional pressure continues mounting.
14 Articles
14 Articles
Moolenaar presses Trump admin to confirm chip due-diligence rule still stands amid loophole fears
House Select Committee on China Chairman John Moolenaar is pressing the Trump administration to formally confirm that a rule requiring chipmakers to vet their customers before exporting advanced artificial intelligence chips remains in force, warning that lingering ambiguity could reopen a loophole.
(Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporter Seol Won-tae = John Mullenah (Republican), Chairman of the U.S. House Special Committee on Strategic Competition between the U.S. and China, [regarding] semiconductor manufacturing, including foundry (contract semiconductor manufacturing)...
Moolenaar Urges Commerce to Clarify Chip Rule Meant to Stop Huawei Diversion
House Select Committee on China Chairman John Moolenaar (R-Mich.) is pressing the Commerce Department to confirm that chip manufacturers must continue checking advanced-chip orders to prevent them from reaching restricted Chinese companies. The safeguards were introduced in January 2025 after chips ordered from Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC) by Chinese design firm Sophgo during 2023 and 2024 were found inside Huawei’s Ascend 910B …
John Mullenar, chairman of the House Select Committee on China, released a letter he wrote last week to U.S. Commerce Department officials on Monday (August 10), in which he called on the administration to take action to ensure that manufacturers do not supply advanced artificial intelligence (AI) chips to untrustworthy Chinese companies.
Is the US-China relationship reaching a breaking point?
In his latest Quick Take, Ian Bremmer examines the stability of US-China relations and why he believes the period of relative calm between the two countries may be coming to an end.After President Trump’s initial effort to pressure Beijing economically failed to force China to capitulate, the two countries have shifted toward a more cautious approach, with both sides working to limit confrontation and keep economic ties from deteriorating furthe…
Coverage Details
Bias Distribution
- 45% of the sources are Center, 44% of the sources lean Right
Factuality
To view factuality data please Upgrade to Premium
