Fearing US blacklisting, Chinese chipmaker SMIC asserts its tech is civilian-use-only

Beijing: China’s leading maker of semiconductors has denied it has any links to the military following reports Washington is considering stepping up its feud with Beijing over technology and security by imposing export controls that could disrupt manufacturing for a national industrial champion.

US regulators are considering adding Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp. to a list of foreign buyers that need government permission to acquire technology or components, according to The Wall Street Journal and other outlets. They said officials are looking at whether SMIC plays a role in Chinese military development.

“We have no relationship with the Chinese military,” the company said in a statement. It said SMIC products are “solely for civilian and commercial end-users and end-uses.”