JAKARTA – US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said on Sunday, April 21, that the chip that powers Mate 60 Pro phones from Huawei, a sanctioned Chinese company, is not as good as American chips. This shows that restrictions on U.S. shipments to the telecommunications equipment giant are working effectively.
Huawei, which has been on the trade restriction list since 2019, shocked the US industry and government by launching a new phone powered by advanced chips last August. The Huawei Mate 60 Pro is seen as a symbol of China’s technological revival despite Washington’s continued efforts to cripple its ability to produce advanced semiconductors.
Raimondo, who was visiting China when the phone was made public, was seen by many as an insult. However, in an interview with CBS News 60 Minutes, Raimondo denied this view.
“That shows me that the export controls are working because the chips are not as good as what we have in the United States, the chips are a few years behind what we have in the United States. We have the most advanced semiconductors in the world. China does not,” Raimondo said.
Washington has been involved for years in efforts to prevent Beijing from making advanced semiconductor chips and the tools needed to make them, fearing those semiconductors could be used to bolster China’s military capabilities.
Huawei, a symbol of the tech war, was added to the entity list in 2019 over concerns the company could spy on Americans, forcing U.S. suppliers to seek licenses that are difficult to obtain and issue.
However, its suppliers, including Intel, received billions of dollars in licenses to continue selling to the company. Huawei’s disclosure of its first AI-enhanced laptop powered by Intel chips this month sparked outrage among hardliners in China’s Republican Party.
When asked if he was tough enough on big business, Raimondo was firm. “I demand corporate responsibility as much as anyone else,” he told Lesley Stahl on 60 Minutes. When I told them they couldn’t sell their semiconductors to China, they didn’t like it, but I did it,” he added.
Huawei phones have also triggered a review by Joe Biden’s administration to study details of the chip that powers it, the most advanced semiconductor China has ever produced. However, details of the review are still limited.
Tag: Huawei Amerika Serikat China chip