In China, American technology threatens to replace Russian

Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang at the talks in Beijing demanded that restrictions on high-tech exports from the United States be lifted, The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported, citing informed sources. He threatened to find a replacement for American equipment in other countries, particularly in Russia.

According to the newspaper, Li Keqiang did not convince the American negotiators. “We need to remember why export controls exist, and we really are talking about our national security,” said US Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker.

The Chinese premier raised the issue of high technology after the US authorities blocked in February the supply of technology from Intel and other American companies to the Chinese supercomputer Tianhe-2 (Milky Way-2). In Washington, they suspected that Tianhe-2 was used to simulate nuclear explosions, and not to decipher the human genome, as the Chinese creators claim.

American companies in the supply of equipment for powerful computers and other systems that may have military applications, must obtain permission from the US government to export technology. In February, Washington blocked the sale of microchips from Intel and other US companies that can be easily bought on the open market.