China has warned users of sensitive computer equipment to stop buying products from Micron Technology Inc., the biggest U.S. memory chipmaker. The Cyberspace Administration of China said that Micron products have unspecified “serious network security risks” that pose hazards to China’s information infrastructure and affect national security. The agency’s statement did not give any details but did say, “Operators of critical information infrastructure in China should stop purchasing products from Micron Co.” The move comes as the United States, Europe and Japan are reducing Chinese access to advanced technology they think might be used in weapons at a time when President Xi Jinping’s government is increasingly assertive towards its neighbours in Asia.
The announcement appears to have been an attempt to reassure foreign companies that China welcomes enterprises and various platform products and services from various countries to enter the Chinese market, as long as they comply with Chinese laws and regulations. Despite warnings that the world could decouple due to incompatible technology standards, U.S.-Chinese relations are at their lowest level in decades due to disputes over security, Beijing’s treatment of Hong Kong and Muslim ethnic minorities, territorial disputes and China’s multi-billion-dollar trade surpluses.
