ការ​បង្រ្កាប​របស់​សហរដ្ឋ​អាមេរិក​មាន​គោល​ដៅ​លើ​ការ​គណនា​លេខ​ Quantum និង​បច្ចេកវិទ្យា​រុករក​របស់​ប្រទេស​ចិន

Fresh additions to Entity List threaten Beijing's tech ambitions

Quantum computing companies, memory chipmakers and suppliers of navigation chips are among the Chinese businesses hit by the latest U.S. blacklisting action, in a sign that Beijing's tech ambitions remain in Washington's crosshairs as tensions between the two countries rise.

Among them are QuantumCTek, which went public on China's STAR Market last year, and its subsidiary Shanghai QuantumCTeck. QuantumCTek bills itself as a Chinese pioneer in the quantum computing field and leader in its commercialization. The company recently signed an agreement with iFlytek, China's top provider of artificial intelligence-powered voice recognition technology, to jointly explore the introduction of quantum computing technologies into AI products. iFlytek is also blacklisted by the U.S.

Another company added to the list is Hunan Goke Microelectronics, which is headquartered in Changsha and listed on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange. Goke Microelectronics is one of the key Chinese chip developers offering storage controller chips, video chips for surveillance cameras and GPS chips for navigation and positioning use. The company's shares plunged nearly 20% in morning trading on Thursday after being placed on the U.S. trade blacklist. Goke designs chips but it needs production partners such as China's top contract chipmaker Semiconductor Manufacturing International Co., which is also blacklisted by the U.S., to help manufacture its chipsets.

Goke had previously said in a stock market filing that any restrictions on its ability to purchase equipment, software or tools could slow its technology development.

Hangzhou Zhongke Microelectronics, founded in 2004, is another well-known satellite navigation and radio frequency chip provider. Its products include a setup box that uses the Beidou Navigation Satellite System, China's answer to GPS.

Also added to the list is New H3C Semiconductor Technologies, a subsidiary of the financially-embattled Tsinghua Unigroup, that provides memory chips, a crucial component for electronics products.

In public statements, several of the companies played down the impact of the U.S. move. Goke said in a filing on Thursday night that it is "actively responding" to the situation and will continue monitoring its development.

QuantumCTek on Friday said the impact of being added to the Entity list is "manageable," as the company owns its own core technologies and has prioritized in-house development and local sourcing. Unisplendour, the parent company of New H3C, said it is reviewing the Commerce Department’s decision to better why its subsidiary was placed on the list.

All three companies said they do not foresee any immediate impact on their operations or financial performance.

The latest U.S. move against Chinese companies comes amid increasing tensions between Washington and Beijing despite U.S. President Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping holding video talks last week. The U.S. Commerce Department said the action is to prevent U.S. technologies from being used for China's quantum computing efforts that could be used in military applications, "such as counter-stealth and counter-submarine applications, and the ability to break encryption or develop unbreakable encryption."

The U.S. said it was surprised and concerned about China's tests of nuclear-capable hypersonic missiles over the summer, the Financial Times first reported.

The latest blacklisting of companies could slow China's ambition to build a controllable, secured and self-reliant supply chain, Jeff Pu, a tech analyst with Haitong International Securities, told Nikkei Asia.

"The blacklisting move also shows that tension between U.S. and China continues to rise," Pu added.

Many Chinese companies still rely on U.S. technologies including design tools and equipment, as well as intellectual properties to develop chips and other technologies.

Additional reporting by Kenji Kawase in Hong Kong