The U.S. urged South Korea not to fill potential computer chip shortfalls if China bans Micron Technology.
U.S. officials believe Beijing probed the company in retaliation for the sweeping export controls rolled out by Washington in October to prevent China from accessing cutting-edge semiconductor and AI technology.
- Washington
asked Seoul to discourage South Korean firms Samsung Electronics and SK
Hynix from boosting exports to China if Micron is banned.
- Washington
made the request as South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol gears up for a
trip to the U.S., reports the Financial Times, citing two people
familiar with the matter.
- Micron and the two South Korean firms together comprise the world's three leading manufacturers of Dram memory chips.
- The Cyberspace Administration of China launched a national security review into the U.S. chipmaker earlier this month that could potentially lead to a ban.
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- Policy analysts are treating the outcome of the Micron probe as a litmus test of Beijing's willingness to "hit back" with coercive economic measures against foreign firms.
