EU Commission to analyse US order on tech curbs in China

Commission says it is in close contact with Biden administration

US President Joe Biden signed an executive order on new US investment in China.
US President Joe Biden signed an executive order on new US investment in China.

The European Commission will analyse the US ban on new US investment in China in sensitive technologies such as computer chips and is in close contact with the US administration, the EU executive said on Thursday.

US President Joe Biden on Wednesday signed an executive order to prohibit or restrict US investments in Chinese entities in three sectors: semiconductors and microelectronics, quantum information technologies and certain artificial intelligence systems.

A Commission spokesperson said it had taken note of the order and would be analysing it closely. “We are in close contact with the US administration and look forward to continued cooperation on this topic.”

A spokesperson for the German economy ministry took note of the commission’s move to assess the ban and told Reuters: “We will be actively involved in this process.”

Still smarting from a breakdown in its economic ties with Russia, Berlin has called for a de-risking approach to China and begun looking at measures to address risky foreign investments. - Reuters

(c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2023

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