The White House is reportedly looking to restrict China's chip access from Asia and Europe as sales for China-based Huawei surged.
According to several sources via the Financial Times, Washington is urging Japan, South Korea, and the Netherlands for more aggressive actions to prevent China from acquiring advanced semiconductors made in the US.
The report comes in after Huawei record high sales with the recent release of its first AI-enabled laptop, the MateBook X Pro, which was powered by Intel's new Core Ultra 9 processor.
Lawmakers Push for Another Huawei Ban on the US
Several lawmakers have already come forward with a total ban of Huawei phones in the US, citing concerns that advanced US-made chips are still exported to China despite trade sanctions.
The White House has previously blocked Huawei's phones in the country in 2019 following concerns that its phones are being used for state-operated surveillance on US citizens.
Huawei devices were later allowed back in the US after the phone manufacturer changed some parts in its phones.
The trade restrictions on AI chips and semiconductors were much more recent as the US move to hamper China's production of advanced AI technology amid rising tension between the two superpower countries.
This is in contrast from the statements of Commerce Sec. Gina Raimondo, asserting that "export controls are working because that chip [China's] is not nearly as good" as the US's.
Earlier reports have already indicated that the White House has been making moves to convince other countries to fully limit China's access to microchips.
China Opposes Further US-Sponsored Trade Restrictions
In response to the allegations, China, or at least its Chinese embassy in the US, has already expressed opposition in "excluding specific companies from specific countries."
The Asian country asserted that all of the chips Huawei used for its products were obtained legally.
It is worth noting that several state-sponsored companies and institutions were reported were still able to acquire sanctioned NVIDIA, AMD, and Intel chips through unauthorized trades.
