According to Nikkei, the US Commerce Department on December 16 put a series of Chinese research institutes on its entity list, banning US companies from exporting US-origin technology to Chinese organizations.
China is using emerging biotechnology to try to develop future military applications, including “gene editing, human performance enhancement and brain machine interface”.
 |
|
US Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo |
“China is using technology to pursue control over people and members of ethnic and religious minorities,” said US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo.
Michael Orlando, head of the Center for Counterintelligence and National Security (NCSC), said that the US is warning domestic companies about China’s efforts to acquire American technology in five key areas. , including biotechnology.
n
According to Nikkei, the US Treasury Department on December 16 also included DJI, the world’s largest maker of commercial drones, and seven other entities on its list of “Chinese military-industrial complex companies” ”, for allegedly facilitating surveillance of Uighurs in Xinjiang. American investors are prohibited from investing in all companies blacklisted by the Treasury Department. Last week, China’s largest AI firm SenseTime was also put on an investment blacklist.
Specifically, the seven targets besides DJI include Megvii and CloudWalk Technology, two facial recognition software companies, Dawning Information Industry, a maker of supercomputers operating cloud computing services in Xinjiang, Xiamen Meiya Pico, a cybersecurity team working with law enforcement, artificial intelligence (AI) firm Yitu Technology, cloud computing company Leon Technology and cloud-based surveillance system maker NetPosa Technologies.
The dual action between the Commerce and Treasury Departments is the latest effort by the administration of US President Joe Biden to make it harder for the Chinese military to develop technology that could compromise US national security. The US Senate on December 16 passed a law banning US companies from importing goods from the Xinjiang region unless they can prove that forced labor is not used.
In addition to Chinese research institutes, the US Department of Commerce also blacklisted 22 other groups of Chinese entities. Some are targeted for their role in developing undersea communications cables, which is the focus of China.
.
