Trump Administration Could Ban China’s Number One Chipmaker

Another big name could end up being banned in the United States as the Trump administration is reportedly looking at updating the Commerce Department’s entity list with more Chinese firms. Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation, or SMIC, could soon have to struggle with the same sanctions as Huawei and ZTE in the United States, as Trump wants to ban American companies from doing business with it. While a decision in this regard hasn’t been made just yet, a report from Reuters cites a Pentagon official as confirming that potential sanctions against SMIC are indeed on the tablet, but no specifics regarding the reasons for this ban have been shared. Most likely, the reasons are the same as in the case of Huawei and ZTE: a possible collaboration with the Beijing government that would put the privacy ...