For decades after a United States ban on the sale of computer chips to China, the country’s top nuclear weapons research lab continued to purchase American-made chips from Intel and Nvidia.
The revelation was made in a report by the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission, which found that the China Academy of Engineering Physics (CAEP), a state-owned institute, purchased computer chips from U.S. companies Intel and Nvidia between 2003 and 2018. The Commission’s report suggests that the chips may have been used in the development of nuclear weapons and other military projects.
The revelation has raised concerns in the United States, as the U.S. has long imposed export restrictions on China to prevent the transfer of sensitive technology. The U.S. imposed a ban on the sale of computer chips to China in 1998, following the country’s nuclear tests.
The Commission’s report suggests that the Chinese government may have been able to circumvent the ban by using a third-party company in Hong Kong to purchase the chips from Intel and Nvidia. It is unclear how the Chinese government was able to do this, as it is illegal for companies to export restricted items to China without a license from the U.S. government.
The Commission also found that CAEP was able to purchase the chips without the knowledge of Intel and Nvidia, as the purchases were made through a third-party company. This suggests that the Chinese government was able to bypass the U.S. export restrictions and purchase the chips without the companies’ knowledge.
The Commission’s report has raised questions about the effectiveness of the U.S. export restrictions and the ability of the Chinese government to circumvent them. It has also highlighted the need for the U.S. to strengthen its export control system to prevent the transfer of sensitive technology to China.
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