A US House committee focused on foreign affairs approved bipartisan legislation Wednesday that calls for arms-sale style congressional oversight of advanced artificial intelligence (AI) chip exports, Bloomberg reported. A Chinese expert said that the US move is another attempt to curb the development of China’s AI industry, reflecting its increasingly anxious about China’s progress in high-tech sectors.
According to Bloomberg, under the legislation, the administration would be required to notify Congress of advanced AI chip sales before they’re approved, giving lawmakers the power to review and block export licenses to China, Russia, Iran, and other so-called adversaries through a joint resolution. Beyond oversight, the text endorsed by the panel’s Republicans and Democrats would outright ban sales of Nvidia’s more advanced Blackwell chips to China for at least two years, codifying existing export controls into law.
“This move is yet another attempt to curb the development of China’s chip industry, with its consistent ‘small yard, high fence’ policy,” Ma Jihua, a veteran telecom industry analyst, told the Global Times on Thursday, noting that it also reflected that the US is becoming increasingly anxious about China’s progress in AI and other high-tech fields.
Bloomberg said that the bill marks a response to US administration’s decision last month to ease longstanding export controls on China. US’ approval for Nvidia’s H200 sales to Chinese customers was formalized by a new rule issued last week by the Commerce Department.
However, White House AI Czar David Sacks has publicly criticized the bill. Sacks and other Trump administration officials claimed that selling in China’s market will encourage foreign companies to become reliant on American technology, boosting US leadership, Bloomberg reported.
“Chip exports to China have become a political football for the US administration, Congress, and both parties alike,” Ma said, noting that the US attempt to curb China’s tech rise remains unchanged.
Ma noted that in the face of the US’ erratic and frequently shifting policies in the chip sector, China’s semiconductor industry will continue to firmly adhere to independent intellectual property rights, self-reliance and controllability, prioritizing domestic solutions, and sustained innovation — calmly and confidently responding to external policy shocks.
In an earlier interview, Wei Shaojun, vice chairman of the China Semiconductor Industry Association (CSIA), he told the Global Times that the US’ erratic stance – alternately easing restrictions and applying pressure on high-end chips – makes it difficult for others to discern its true strategic intentions.
“China’s semiconductor industry must remain highly vigilant toward this, resolutely refuse to be deceived by superficial appearances, and, even more importantly, must not waver in its confidence and determination to persist on the path of indigenous development in advanced process technologies and other key areas,” Wei said.
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