China raps US 'bullying' over Huawei chip warning

Beijing yesterday condemned new US warnings on the use of AI chips by Chinese tech giant Huawei, vowing it would take steps against "bullying" efforts to restrict access to high-tech semiconductors and supply chains.

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Washington has sought in recent years to curb exports of state-of-the-art chips to China, concerned that they could be used to advance Beijing’s military systems and otherwise undermine American dominance in AI.

US President Donald Trump’s administration last week rescinded some export controls on advanced computing semiconductors, answering calls by countries that said they were being shut out from crucial technology needed to develop artificial intelligence.

Some US lawmakers feared the restrictions would have incentivised countries to go to China for AI chips, spurring the superpower’s development of state-of-the-art technology.

But Washington also unveiled fresh guidelines warning firms that using Chinese-made high-tech AI semiconductors, specifically tech giant Huawei’s Ascend chips, would put them at risk of violating US export controls.