Xi’s Micron Ban Shows His Limited Options to Hit Back at US
- Previous sanctions on US firms were toothless and symbolic
- Latest action shows China is starting to become more proactive
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China’s move to ban Micron Technology Inc.’s products marked its most meaningful retaliation yet against US export controls. Now the question is whether President Xi Jinping will go after even bigger targets, risking blowback to his own economy.
Until this week, Beijing hadn’t responded in kind to US moves to kneecap China’s access to advanced chips and other technology, which President Joe Biden has said could be used for military modernization. China has repeatedly blasted the actions as the “long-arm” of US hegemony, while taking few meaningful actions against American companies.