Chinese memory chip maker Fujian Jinhua says there’s been ‘no stealing of technology’ amid US export ban

Chinese state-backed memory chip maker Fujian Jinhua Integrated Circuit Co denied it has stolen technology from others after the US Justice Department last week indicted the company and three individuals for conspiring to steal trade secrets from US semiconductor firm Micron Technology.

The US last week also slapped export restrictions on US companies working with Fujian Jinhua, citing national security concerns, in a similar move to the trade ban that earlier crippled the operations of ZTE Corp for three months this year before the telecoms equipment maker agreed to a settlement with Washington in July.

“Jinhua has been pursuing self-independence in research and development,” the company said in a statement published on its homepage on Saturday, breaking its silence for the first time on the ban. “There’s no stealing of technology from other companies.”

Fujian Jinhua also had some stern words for Micron.

“Micron regards the development of Jinhua as a threat and has tried various means to stall or even sabotage it,” according to the company statement. “[We urge Micron] to immediately stop wrongdoings and facilitate the resumption of normal trade and cooperation activities between the two parties.”

Semiconductors are at the centre of a technology gap that the world’s second-largest economy wants to close amid an escalating trade war with the US. These integrated circuits go into and power everything from smartphones to smart speakers to the most advanced super computers and driverless cars.