China probes US chipmaker for cybersecurity risks as tech tension escalates

Hong Kong, April 4 (ANI): China has launched a cybersecurity probe into Micron Technology, one of America’s largest memory chipmakers, in apparent retaliation after US allies in Asia and Europe announced new restrictions on the sale of key technology to Beijing, according to a CNN Business report.

The Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) will review products sold by Micron in the country, according to a statement by the watchdog late on Friday. The move is aimed at “ensuring the security of key information infrastructure supply chains, preventing cybersecurity risks caused by hidden product problems, and maintaining national security,” the statement noted.

It came on the same day that Japan, a US ally, said it would restrict the export of advanced chip manufacturing equipment to countries including China, following similar moves by the US and the Netherlands. Washington and its allies have announced curbs on China’s semiconductor industry, which strike at the heart of Beijing’s bid to become a tech superpower, CNN Business reported.

Kyodo News quoting diplomatic sources on Sunday said US President Joe Biden may visit a state-of-the-art semiconductor factory run by Micron Technology in western Japan during the sidelines of the G-7 summit in Hiroshima in May. The G-7 group consists of Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the US and the European Union.

Biden, along with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida will visit the plant run by Micron Technology Inc’s Japanese unit, according to Kyodo News’ sources, as a sign of their deepening bilateral collaboration in the semiconductor industry. The US government is offering huge subsidies to develop the domestic chip business because it views it as crucial to national security and as giving the US an advantage over China.

Last month, the Netherlands also unveiled new restrictions on overseas sales of semiconductor technology, citing the need to protect national security, according to CNN Business. In October, the US banned Chinese companies from buying advanced chips and chipmaking equipment without a license. Micron told CNN it was aware of the review.