The Biden administration suddenly restricted exports of certain equipment and services to Chinese semiconductor companies on October 7. Motivated on the grounds of national security, the policy aims to slow the Chinese industry’s ability to produce advanced node semiconductors. Former Obama administration official Kevin Wolf joins to help explain. In Part I (02:33), the two explore the history and evolution of US export controls toward China, and how this changed with China’s adoption of its Military-Civil Fusion policy. In Part II (27:56), they then describe how the October 7 export controls impact US and foreign companies up and down the global semiconductor supply chain, as well as potential policy cooperation with allies (59:33 total).
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- Akin Gump. 2022. “BIS Imposes New Controls to Limit the Development and Production of Advanced Computing and Semiconductor Capabilities in China.” International Trade Alert, October 27.
- Bown, Chad P. 2020. “How the United States marched the semiconductor industry into its trade war with China,” East Asian Economic Review v24, n4: 349-388.
- Bown, Chad P. 2020. “Export Controls: America’s Other National Security Threat,” Duke Journal of Comparative and International Law v30, n2: 283-308..
- Bown, Chad P. 2021. “The missing chips: How to protect the semiconductor supply chain.” Foreign Affairs, July 6.
- US Department of State. 2021. “The Chinese Communist Party’s Military-Civil Fusion Policy.” Trump administration State Department archive, available at https://2017-2021.state.gov/military-civil-fusion/index.html (last accessed November 2, 2022).
