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GA State Rep. Momtahan Explains State Solutions To Counter China Tech Threats  

Posted on by China Tech Threat
China Tech Threat Co-Founder Dr. Roslyn Layton talked with Georgia State Representative Martin Momtahan just days after Governor Brian Kemp signed into law his bill, SB 346, that will prohibit the State of Georgia or any state agencies from contracting with any company owned or operated by the Chinese government.    During the conversation, Rep. Momtahan explains the impetus for his legislation to protect individuals, businesses and government infrastructure in Georgia from technology threats posed by China intrusion and influence. He shares how his experience working in technology security as far back as 2010 helped him recognize the need for stronger state-level restrictions to match similar technology security policies at the federal level, including the Department of Defense.   Rep. Momtahan also explains… Read More

Chinese Government Subsidies in the Semiconductor Industry: Bad for American Companies and Competitiveness

Posted on by China Tech Threat
Last month, Stephen Ezell, Vice President for Global Innovation Policy at the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, testified before the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission. Much of his testimony addressed how Chinese government subsidies in its homegrown semiconductor industry has damaged American companies and the marketplace in general.  The problem, according to Ezell, is that “Chinese subsidies (and other mercantilist practices) are propping up inferior, less innovative Chinese semiconductor enterprises at the expense of U.S. and other foreign competitors.” He continues: “In the semiconductor sector, perhaps China’s most pernicious mercantilist practice has been aggressively industrial subsidization, largely channeled through the country’s $170 billion National Integrated Circuit (IC) Fund.” Writes Ezell, “Such subsidies are an important part of the explanation… Read More

Is BIS Edging Closer to Putting YMTC on the Entity List?

Posted on by China Tech Threat
Is BIS Edging Closer to Putting YMTC on the Entity List? The Information reports that the U.S. Department of Commerce is weighing restrictions on the sale of semiconductor manufacturing equipment (SME) to YMTC, China’s national champion semiconductor manufacturer known to have close ties with the Chinese military. These restrictions, which would also reportedly apply to other state-backed firms such as Hua Hong Semiconductor and ChangXin Memory Technologies, would deal a blow to YMTC’s ability to produce chips, and secure a victory for American national security. The rules, which reportedly take months to develop, would echo the decision the Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) made in 2020 to place China’s Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation on the Entity List… Read More

Lenovo to Benefit from the PRC’s Indigenous Tech Ultimatum. Will Democratic Countries Respond?  

Posted on by China Tech Threat
Early this morning, Bloomberg reported, “China has ordered central government agencies and state-backed corporations to replace foreign-branded personal computers with domestic alternatives.” The directive, claims Bloomberg, is consistent with China’s “sweeping effort to reduce its dependence on geopolitical rivals such as the U.S. for everything from semiconductors to servers and phones.” Lenovo Consolidates Chinese Market and Continues to Sell to States – Despite Military Bans   Lenovo, the global PC manufacturer partly owned/controlled by the Chinese government, will profit most from the ban as the central government replaces 50+ million PCs, with many more sales to come from provincial governments. Ironically, the Bloomberg report speculated that Beijing is concerned about security, yet the State Department, Department of Homeland Security, and… Read More

U.S. Sanctions Set to Bite Hikvision – But Bigger China Tech Threats Like YTMC Still Loom

Posted on by China Tech Threat
The Financial Times reports that the U.S. government is preparing to sanction Hikvision, the Chinese surveillance technology giant. If enacted, these sanctions would cause an untold number of companies and foreign governments to run the risk of being sanctioned themselves, should they continue to use Hikvision equipment. There will be no choice but for companies and governments to rip and replace Hikvision technologies. This news of potential U.S. government action is certainly welcome. Not only could it help to stifle the Chinese government’s campaign of surreptitiously gathering mass quantities of data on the world’s citizens, but given that Hikvision has been known to put storage particles from YMTC in its gear, it could also  impact the chipmaker with deep ties… Read More

BIS Can Take Action to Stop China from Surpassing the U.S. in Artificial Intelligence

Posted on by China Tech Threat
China Tech Threat’s Future of BIS project recently released a new paper about the need to “Build an AI Workforce at BIS to Strengthen Controls and Stop Illicit Acquisition of American Artificial Intelligence Technologies.” To recap, AI is a critical technology for achieving economic and military advantages. China already spends billions every year to integrate AI components into its weaponry, and Chinese companies like Dahua, Megvii, and Hikvision have built surveillance camera empires around the world. China-based Lenovo also has funded and employs dangerous facial recognition technologies like Face++. The Chinese government will use its AI prowess to entrench authoritarian regimes, capture facial recognition and other data from the world’s citizens, and compromise American liberties and national security. Chinese investment into American companies… Read More

YMTC Threat Continues to Grow; American Companies May Be Breaking U.S. Law

Posted on by China Tech Threat
The Financial Times reports that the U.S. government is examining whether YMTC, a Chinese state-owned semiconductor manufacturer with deep ties to the Chinese military, is supplying Chinese telecom giant Huawei with chips for its 20e phone. If true, that relationship poses enormous legal risk for American companies currently doing or hoping to do business with YMTC, including Apple. For more, visit China’s Army to infiltrate iPhones with YMTC Chips. To recap: Huawei is currently subject to U.S. export controls over concerns its technologies will be used to surreptitiously collect user data and feed it back to the Chinese government. If YMTC is in fact found to be supplying Huawei with chips made with help from American tech firms like Lam… Read More

Genocide of Uyghur Muslims Shows Why China Must Not Lead the World in AI

Posted on by China Tech Threat
China Tech Threat’s Future of BIS project came out with a new paper earlier this week: “Build an AI Workforce at BIS to Strengthen Controls and Stop Illicit Acquisition of American Artificial Intelligence Technologies.” AI is an important technology. Countries which can execute AI effectively will seize leadership in military and commercial domains. Sadly, China has already demonstrated the power to develop and use AI in nefarious ways that should cause the U.S. national security community to act now to ensure China does not gain an insurmountable lead. Take western China, where the U.S. State Department has determined that the Chinese government is carrying out a genocide against Uyghur Muslims and other ethnic minorities. Part of the reason China has… Read More

The Future Ruler of the World?

Posted on by China Tech Threat
China Tech Threat’s Future of BIS project is out today with a new paper: “Build an AI Workforce at BIS to Strengthen Controls and Stop Illicit Acquisition of American Artificial Intelligence Technologies”. AI – which essentially causes machines to perform human-like functions – is one technology that is poised to live up to the hype. Five years ago Russian President Vladimir Putin said “Whoever becomes the leader in this sphere will become the ruler of the world.” What would make him make such a sweeping statement about something we normally associate with iPhone autocorrect and Netflix recommendations? In a military context, AI has enormous application for intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, logistics, command and control capabilities, lethal autonomous weapons systems, and many… Read More

PLA in Your iPhone? CTT Launches New Site on the Implications of Apple’s Negotiations with Chinese “National Champion” YMTC

Posted on by China Tech Threat
Late last month a report surfaced that Apple is in talks with China’s “national champion” semiconductor maker, Yangtze Memory Technologies Co. (YMTC), to provide chips for its next iPhone. This week, China Tech Threat (CTT) is launching a new site to track Apple’s negotiations with YMTC, what’s at stake for the U.S. from national security and economic standpoints, and how policymakers and experts are reacting. “Apple is the most valuable brand in the world, and the choices it makes send important signals,” Dr. Roslyn Layton explained. “Apple’s partnership with YMTC would put the Chinese military in the iPhone, one of the most popular devices in the world. This deal would threaten Americans’ privacy and security, undermine semiconductor jobs in democratic… Read More