'Won't tolerate', says USA after China's ban on chipmaker Micron

The U.S. has hit back at China over its ban onpurchaseof Micron Technologymemory chips. USCommerce Secretary Gina Raimondo on Saturday said Washington 'won't tolerate' the pressure tactics of China and that it will work closely with allies to address 'economic coercion' measures taken by Beijing in recent times.

Speaking after a meeting of trade ministers at the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework talks,Raimondo said the US 'firmly opposed' China's actions against Micron.

"These [Chinese sanctions] target a single US company without any basis in fact, and we see it as plain and simple economic coercion and we won't tolerate it, nor do we think it will be successful," saidRaimondo.

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Micron poses security risk: China

Last week, China's cyberspace regulator, in a precedent-breaking move, banned Micron — the biggest US memory chipmaker, claiming that theUS-based company hadfailed its network security review.

The Cybersecurity Administration (CAC) in a statement said Micron's products"have relatively serious potential network security issues, which pose a major security risk to China's critical information infrastructure supply chain and affect China's national security."

ALSO READ |China bans chipmaker Micron, says it failed network security review

As the decision came a day after the G7 summit in Hiroshima, Japan,Raimondo evoked the language adopted by the powerful grouping in its joint communique.

"As we said at the G7, and as we have said consistently, we are closely engaging with partners addressing this specific challenge and all challenges related to China's non-market practices."

Notably, Micron became the first Americanchipmaker to be targetted by China following a series of export controls by the US on certain American components and chipmaking tools to block them from being used to advance China's military capabilities.

WATCH |Micron fails China's security check

US lawmakers demand reaction

After the ban, US lawmakers raised their voice, arguing for retaliatory attacks on Chinese companies.US Representative Mike Gallagher, who chairs a Congressional committee focusing on Chinaproposed adding Changxin Memory Technologies to a "blacklist" that would prevent it from doing business with American companies.

Michael McCaul, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, also slammed Beijing and called for a response.

"I urge the administration to use the many authorities Congress has given it to hold the CCP accountable," he was quoted as saying by Bloomberg.

ALSO READ |Chip war intensifies: Lawmakers want US to 'blacklist' Chinese firm after Micron ban

China's move was an unprecedented step that has already sparked charges of overreach. Tensions over technology have been rising amid dueling claims of "economic coercion" since the US put broad export restrictions on semiconductor equipment to China.

(With inputs from agencies)

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