Commentary
If Donald Trump first made clear that China is a competitor, not a partner, as was previously claimed, the Biden administration has escalated the contest tremendously.
Trump began the change in U.S. policy when in 2018 he imposed heavy tariffs on Chinese goods and demanded that Beijing alter its trade practices. In more recent years, under Biden, the contest has come to involve American export controls, restrictions on investment flows, and visa limits. The recently passed CHIPS for America Act adds subsidies for domestic U.S. production of semiconductors to the mix.
The latest step in this battle involves the Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS). Through this otherwise obscure Washington bureau, the United States aims to limit China’s access to advanced semiconductors, chip-making equipment, and supercomputer components….