The Chinese government on Friday criticized the Biden government’s controls on access to US technology for its supercomputer developers, saying the sanctions “only strengthen China’s determination” to invent its own computers.
The sanctions announced Thursday are the latest sign that President Joe Biden is holding to the difficult line his predecessor, Donald Trump, has taken toward Chinese technology industries that Washington sees as potential threats.
The move contributes to conflict over the ruling Communist Party’s industrial plans, access to US technology and allegations of computer attacks and theft of trade secrets.
A Foreign Ministry spokesman, Zhao Lijian, accused Washington of abusing false security warnings to “maliciously suppress” the Chinese industry.
“Restriction and repression by the United States cannot stop the pace of China’s scientific and technological progress, but only strengthen China’s determination and willingness to innovate independently,” Zhao said.
Zhao said Beijing would protect its companies and recognize Chinese warnings after previous U.S. trade fines that are often followed by no action.
The latest fines block access to U.S. technology for researchers and manufacturers. According to the Department of Commerce, supercomputers are being used by the Chinese military to develop weapons. It can be used to simulate nuclear explosions and the aerodynamics of high-speed or fighter jets and missiles.
Biden said he wanted better relations with Beijing, but gave no indication that he would reverse the sanctions imposed by Trump on Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei and other companies.
The Communist Party responded by declaring that the rapid efforts to transform China into an independent ‘technological power’ would be the highest economic priority this year.
Chinese supercomputers have set speed records, but use US-supplied processor chips and other hardware. They can support the development of weapons by simulating nuclear explosions and the aerodynamics of high-speed or fighter jets and missiles.
“The United States has long implemented a technical blockade of China in the supercomputer field, but China’s supercomputers are still leading the world due to independent innovation,” Zhao said.
The US fines apply to national supercomputer centers in the cities of Jinan, Shenzhen, Wuxi and Zhengzhou, Tianjin Phytium Information Technology, Shanghai High Performance Integrated Circuits Center and Sunway Microelectronics.
Meanwhile, U.S. telecommunications regulators are depriving three Chinese telephone service companies of the right to operate in the United States.
Trump also tried to force the Chinese owner of the video service TikTok to sell his U.S. unit and issued an order forbidding Americans from investing in securities of companies considered by the Pentagon to be linked to China’s military.