U.S. Puts Export Curbs on Chinese Chipmaker SMIC, FT Says

  • U.S. cites concerns over military use of exports to SMIC: FT
  • SMIC’s shares dropped earlier this month on blacklist threat

A 12-inch wafer at the headquarters of SMIC in Shanghai.

Photographer: Qilai Shen/Bloomberg

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The U.S. imposed export curbs on Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp., the Financial Times reported, delivering a new blow China’s technology industry and sharpening tensions over intellectual property and national security.

U.S. firms will now need a license to export certain products to China’s largest chipmaker because of an “unacceptable risk” that the goods could be used for military purposes, the Financial Times said Saturday, citing a letter the Commerce Department sent to the company. The Commerce Department wouldn’t immediately confirm the contents of the letter.