In the trade conflict between China and the US, the Chinese chip group Fujian Jinhua is increasingly in the limelight. Following the imposition of US sanctions on the company, this yesterday rejected the allegation of technology theft. At the same time it accused the US rival Micron to want to torpedo the rise of Fujian Jinhua with all their might.
„Micron sees the development of Fujian Jinhua as a threat and uses various means to hinder and destroy Fujian Jinhua’s development,“ a statement said on the company’s website. According to the US Department of Justice, Fujian Jinhua has stolen business secrets from its competitor Micron on research and development of memory chips.
No components for Fujian Jinhua
The co-accused are the company United Microelectronics from Taiwan as well as three people who are said to have teamed up with Fujian Jinhua. Therefore, US companies may no longer supply components to Fujian Jinhua and United Microelectronics. This is likely to hit the Chinese company hard because it depends on subcontracting from the United
States.
According to Chinese government circles, Fujian Jinhua is of great strategic importance to the People’s Republic. The Group is at the center of an initiative to strengthen semiconductor production and reduce dependency on imports, especially from the USA.
The dispute recalls the case of the Chinese technology group ZTE, against which the government in Washington imposed sanctions in April, because the company allegedly violated Iran and North Korea sanctions. In July, the US rescinded the restrictions after ZTE paid a $ 1 billion (€ 880 million) fine and transferred another $ 400 million to a trust account in the United States.
