China bans US chip maker from critical infrastructure projects News
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China bans US chip maker from critical infrastructure projects

The Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) released a statement on Sunday announcing that the US-based chip maker Micron is banned from key infrastructure projects in China.

The CAC claims a review of Micron products found “serious potential network security issues, which pose a major security risk to the country’s critical information infrastructure supply chain and affect the country’s national security.” The statement did not include details of the specific risks discovered by the review.

The CAC’s ability to ban cyber products is based on the Cybersecurity Law of the People’s Republic of China. The law, enacted in 2017, was intended to promote national security interests and “online morality.” Micron’s ban centers on security interests in Articles 23 and 35. The provisions stipulate that products used in critical information and infrastructure products must first pass a security review. The method of review and which projects are considered critical are not made clear by the text of the law.

The move to ban Micron is the latest move in an ongoing trade dispute between China and the US. The US recently banned the popular Chinese app TikTok from federal devices. Montana passed a law this month to ban the app from operating within the state. Additionally, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in 2022 banned five Chinese technology companies from supplying products in the US due to national security concerns.

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