US President Joe Biden signed an executive order this Wednesday (9) restricting certain US investments in technology sectors in China. The move is aimed at curbing potential technology collaboration that could spur Chinese military modernization and threaten US national security.
The order gives the US Treasury the power to prohibit or limit US investments in Chinese companies active in three key sectors: semiconductors and microelectronics, quantum information technologies and certain artificial intelligence systems. The move is a direct response to Americans’ growing concern about China’s technological advancement and its potential military use.
In a letter addressed to Congress, Biden emphasized that he was declaring a national emergency, highlighting the need to address the threat posed by the technological progress of countries like China, particularly in areas considered crucial to military, intelligence, surveillance or security capabilities. cyber activities.
The restriction covers private equity, venture capital, joint ventures and greenfield investments, with the government requiring notification for most of these transactions and prohibiting some of them.
While the move could heighten tensions between the world’s two largest economies, US officials insist the goal is not “to separate the highly interdependent economies of the two countries” but rather to “address specific national security risks”.
US Senate Democratic Party Leader Chuck Schumer praised the order, noting that “today the United States is taking a strategic first step to ensure that American investment does not finance the Chinese military advance.”
Implementation of the order is scheduled for next year, after several rounds of public hearings and refinements, including an initial 45-day period to gather feedback.
Specific regulation for artificial intelligence and quantum computing is still under development, and experts note that the US government will need to clearly define which artificial intelligence applications fall into the military category.
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