US lawmakers seek transparency on semiconductor exports to China

Washington DC: Chairman John Moolenaar (R-MI) and Ranking Member Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL) of the House Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) have sent letters to major semiconductor manufacturing equipment (SME) companies regarding their business dealings with the People’s Republic of China (PRC). The companies receiving the inquiry include KLA, Applied Materials, Lam Research, Tokyo Electron, and ASML.
In the letters, Moolenaar and Krishnamoorthi express concern over the increasing sales of SMEs to China, which they say could provide a significant advantage to the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) in the development of advanced semiconductors.
The lawmakers highlight that China is now purchasing more semiconductor manufacturing equipment than the United States, South Korea, and Taiwan combined, which could not only support China’s military activities but also further its ambitions in critical sectors like artificial intelligence.