US Will Not Sell Chips Required By Chinese Military, Says US Commerce Secretary Raimondo

The US government member said that the US will block China’s military capacity and hold the sophisticated American chips required by the Chinese military.

Raimondo visited China last week, this is the first time in five years a US commerce secretary is on the field in China.

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US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said on Sunday that the United States will not sell it’s sophisticated chips to the Chinese military. Talking to news channels on host shows, the leader said that they would block China’s military capacity and hold the sophisticated American chips required by the Chinese military.

While in conversation with NBC News, Raimondo added, “We are trying to choke their military capacity. So, if they feel that, that means our strategy's working. Certainly, on my watch, we are not going to sell the most sophisticated American chip to China that they want for their military capacity,” reported PTI. 

Notably, Raimondo visited China last week, and the relationship between both countries has been tense for months now. The Commerce Secretary is one of the prominent figures in the Joe Biden government. Talking to CNN, she remained steady on her stance and said, “Those are chips that are readily available around the world and are almost a commodity at this point. What we are going to do and we will not compromise on is preventing the sale of our most sophisticated, most powerful semiconductors to China, which China wants for its military.”

Commenting on the complex relationship between the world’s two largest economies, Raimondo noted that the relationship cannot be explained in mere talking points and asserted that she has been very tough on China, unlike her predecessors. “Almost a third of the companies from China on the entity list have been put there under President Biden's administration and my leadership at Commerce,” she added. 

Stressing on national security, she said, “You can't use export controls for economic advantage. So, anyway, we're never going to sell China our most sophisticated, advanced A.I. chips, which they want for their military.”

Talking about her visit to China, Raimondo stated that expectations need to be kept realistic about the visit. Notably, this is the first time a US commerce secretary is on the field in China in more than five years. She acknowledged that it is beneficial for everyone for the US and China to have a ‘stable and significant commercial relationship’.