The US has expanded its export restrictions by adding six subsidiaries of China’s Inspur Group, a major cloud computing and big data provider as well as dozens of other Chinese entities, to its Entity List. These Inspur units are part of a larger group of approximately 80 entities and institutes, including over 50 based in China, as well as those in Taiwan, Iran, Pakistan, South Africa, and the United Arab Emirates, added to the export control list.
Citing the Commerce Department, a report by news agency Reuters says that out of the six major subsidiaries, five are located in China and one in Taiwan. They have been targeted for their role in developing supercomputers for the Chinese military. Notably, Inspur Group itself was already placed on this list in 2023.
The US aims to limit China’s progress in high-performance computing, quantum technologies, advanced AI and hypersonic weapons development.
“We will not allow adversaries to exploit American technology to bolster their own militaries and threaten American lives,” said Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick.
China says US ‘weaponising trade and tech issues’
In response, the Chinese embassy in Washington expressed strong opposition, demanding the US “immediately stop using military-related issues as pretexts to politicise, instrumentalise and weaponise trade and tech issues.”
The US also seeks to impede Iran’s acquisition of drones and related defense items and to hinder its ballistic missile and unsafeguarded nuclear programmes, the report added.
Commerce official Jeffrey Kessler emphasised the administration’s goal to prevent “US technologies and goods from being misused for high performance computing, hypersonic missiles, military aircraft training, and UAVs (drones) that threaten our national security.”
The Entity List, maintained by the Commerce Department, restricts companies from exporting goods to listed entities without obtaining licenses, which are typically denied, due to national security or foreign policy concerns.
