Latest news with #USDepartmentOfCommerce
Al Jazeera
22-07-2025
- Business
- Al Jazeera
US government employee barred from leaving China, Washington says
A United States government employee has been prevented from leaving China after visiting the country for personal reasons, Washington has said. The employee of the US Patent and Trademark Office, an agency within the US Department of Commerce, was subject to an 'exit ban' while travelling in China in a 'personal capacity', the US Department of State said on Monday. 'The Department of State has no higher priority than the safety and security of American citizens,' a State Department spokesperson said in a statement. 'We are tracking this case very closely and are engaged with Chinese officials to resolve the situation as quickly as possible.' The statement comes after The Washington Post on Sunday reported that a Chinese-American man employed by the US Commerce Department was barred from leaving China after failing to disclose his work for the government on a visa application. The report, which cited four unnamed people familiar with the matter, said the employee had travelled to China several months ago to visit family. The Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post on Sunday reported that the man, a naturalised US citizen, was detained in Chengdu, Sichuan, in April over 'actions Beijing deemed harmful to national security'. The Post's report cited an unnamed 'source familiar with the matter'. The Chinese Embassy in Washington, DC, referred Al Jazeera to remarks made by the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson, Guo Jiakun, on Monday, in which he said he had 'no details to share' on the case. 'China upholds the rule of law and handles entry and exit affairs in accordance with the law,' Guo said at a regular media briefing. Washington's confirmation of the exit ban comes after Beijing on Monday said it had blocked the departure of a US citizen employed by the banking giant Wells Fargo. China's Foreign Ministry said that Chenyue Mao, an Atlanta-based managing director, was subject to an exit ban due to her involvement in an unspecified criminal case. Washington and Beijing have long traded accusations of espionage and meddling in each other's domestic affairs. On Monday, the US Department of Justice said that a Chinese-born US researcher had pleaded guilty to stealing trade secrets, including blueprints for infrared sensors designed to detect nuclear missile launches and track ballistic missiles. Prosecutors said Chenguang Gong, a dual US-Chinese citizen, transferred more than 3,600 company files to his personal storage devices during his employment with a Los Angeles-based research and development firm. Before taking up work with the company, Gong had travelled to China several times to seek funding to develop technology with military applications, prosecutors said.
Free Malaysia Today
30-05-2025
- Business
- Free Malaysia Today
Synopsys halts China sales due to US export restrictions
To ensure compliance, Synopsys said it is blocking sales and fulfillment in China and halting new orders until it receives further clarification. (Getty Images pic) BEIJING : Semiconductor design software firm Synopsys has told staff in China to halt services and sales in the country and stop taking new orders to comply with new US export restrictions, according to an internal letter reviewed by Reuters. The US has ordered a broad swathe of companies to stop shipping goods to China without a license and revoked licenses already granted to certain suppliers, Reuters reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the matter. 'Products affected include design software and chemicals for semiconductors,' they said. Yesterday, Synopsys suspended its annual and quarterly forecasts after it received a letter from the bureau of industry and security of the US department of commerce, informing it of new export restrictions related to China. The internal letter sent to staff in China today said, 'based on our initial interpretation, these new restrictions broadly prohibit the sales of our products and services in China and are effective as of May 29, 2025'. To ensure compliance, Synopsys said it was blocking sales and fulfillment in China and halting new orders until it receives further clarification. 'The measures affect all customers in China, including employees of global customers working at sites in China and Chinese military users wherever they are located,' the letter added. The steps Synopsys is taking in light of the new restrictions have not been previously reported. Synopsys declined to comment. Alongside Cadence and Siemens EDA, Synopsys is among the top three companies that dominate electronic design automation (EDA) software that chipmakers can use to design semiconductors used in everything from smartphones to computers and cars. Restricting Chinese firms' access to EDA tools would be a big blow to the industry as Chinese chip design customers heavily rely on top-of-the-line US software. Synopsys, Cadence and Siemens's Mentor Graphics control more than 70% of China's EDA market, Chinese state news agency Xinhua reported in April. Chinese companies that have said they use Synopsys and Cadence software include design firm Brite Semiconductor, Zhuhai Jieli and semiconductor IP portfolio provider VeriSilicon. The letter sent to staff in China today also said that Chinese customers' access to its customer support portal SolvNetPlus had been disabled.
Yahoo
30-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Exclusive-Synopsys halts China sales due to US export restrictions, internal memo shows
By Liam Mo and Brenda Goh BEIJING (Reuters) -Semiconductor design software firm Synopsys has told staff in China to halt services and sales in the country and stop taking new orders to comply with new U.S. export restrictions, according to an internal letter reviewed by Reuters. The U.S. has ordered a broad swathe of companies to stop shipping goods to China without a license and revoked licenses already granted to certain suppliers, Reuters reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the matter. Products affected include design software and chemicals for semiconductors, they said. Synopsys on Thursday suspended its annual and quarterly forecasts after it received a letter from the Bureau of Industry and Security of the U.S. Department of Commerce, informing it of new export restrictions related to China. The internal letter sent to staff in China on Friday said "based on our initial interpretation, these new restrictions broadly prohibit the sales of our products and services in China and are effective as of May 29, 2025." To ensure compliance, Synopsys said it was blocking sales and fulfillment in China and halting new orders until it receives further clarification. The measures affect all customers in China, including employees of global customers working at sites in China and Chinese military users wherever they are located, the letter added. The steps Synopsys is taking in light of the new restrictions have not been previously reported. Synopsys did not immediately reply to a request for comment. Alongside Cadence and Siemens EDA, Synopsys is among the top three companies that dominate electronic design automation (EDA) software that chipmakers can use to design semiconductors used in everything from smartphones to computers and cars. Restricting Chinese firms' access to EDA tools would be a big blow to the industry as Chinese chip design customers heavily rely on top-of-the-line U.S. software. Synopsys, Cadence and Siemens's Mentor Graphics control more than 70% of China's EDA market, Chinese state news agency Xinhua reported in April. Chinese companies that have said they use Synopsys and Cadence software include design firm Brite Semiconductor, Zhuhai Jieli and semiconductor IP portfolio provider VeriSilicon. The letter sent to staff in China on Friday also said that Chinese customers' access to its customer support portal SolvNetPlus had been disabled.
South China Morning Post
22-05-2025
- Business
- South China Morning Post
Tech war: Malaysia walks back from AI project with Huawei as tech giant denies chip exports
The Malaysian government has walked back from an artificial intelligence (AI) project that involved the use of Huawei Technologies' equipment, as the Chinese tech giant denied exporting its Ascend chips to the Southeast Asian country, highlighting sensitivity on both sides amid US efforts to block the use of Huawei AI chips. On Monday, Malaysia launched its large computing project dubbed the Strategic Artificial Intelligence Infrastructure. The project marked the first deployment of Huawei's chips and servers outside China, Malaysia's Deputy Communications Minister Teo Nie Ching was quoted as saying to state news agency Bernama. The report did not specify which Huawei chips and servers would be used in Malaysia. In a subsequent update on Tuesday, references to Huawei were scrubbed from the report. The Malaysian Ministry of Investment, Trade and Industry said in a statement on Wednesday that the AI infrastructure initiative involving Huawei was 'not developed, endorsed, or coordinated by the government of Malaysia', keeping its distance from the deal. The Malaysian AI project grabbed attention amid intensifying tech rivalry between Beijing and Washington. The US Department of Commerce recently issued guidelines that threatened regulatory action against anyone using Huawei Ascend chips in any part of the world, based on the argument that the chips violate US export control rules. A man speaks on the phone near a Huawei logo during a product launch in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, February 18, 2025. Photo: EPA-EFE The Chinese government hit back at the move, with the Ministry of Commerce issuing a statement on Wednesday saying that it would target those enforcing the US sanctions on Huawei AI chips with China's own anti-sanction law.
BBC News
12-05-2025
- Business
- BBC News
World Business Report Tariffs have fallen....but is the trade war over?
The US and China have agreed a deal that will significantly cut the import tariffs, or taxes, both sides have imposed on one another for a 90-day period. We hear the reaction from Chinese business owner, the former undersecretary for international trade at the US Department of Commerce and a trade analyst. You can contact us on WhatsApp or send us a voicenote: +44 330 678 3033.
