U.S adding China chipmaker SMIC to economic blacklist, Ross confirms

The United States is adding dozens of Chinese companies, including the country’s top chipmaker SMIC, to a trade blacklist on Friday, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said Friday in a broadcast interview, confirming a move first reported by Reuters.

The department was also adding 11 affiliates of SMIC, Ross said in a Fox Business Network interview, to prevent their access to more advanced U.S. technology. It is seen as the latest in President Donald Trump’s effort to cement his tough-on-China legacy.

A former top staffer of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co Ltd, SMIC's chief rival, Liang was a key driver of SMIC's attempts to move into more advanced manufacturing nodes to catch up to the competition, rather than to double down on older but more profitable technology.