Tech war: Beijing moves to limit collateral damage from Micron sales ban with muted reaction from consumers
- China’s foreign ministry, the commerce ministry and tabloid Global Times have all described the Micron ban as an individual case
- Some analysts say China’s punishment of Micron is ‘relatively restrained’ and that the country can afford it
Beijing is trying to limit collateral damage from its decision to partially ban sales in China by US chip maker Micron on national security grounds, after Washington challenged the ruling as a deliberate targeting of US businesses in retaliation to US export controls imposed on China.
China’s foreign ministry, the commerce ministry and nationalist tabloid Global Times have all adopted a similar tone on the decision, describing the Micron ban as an individual case and not a broader effort to damage the legitimate business activities of other US firms in the country.
Wang Wentao, China’s minister of commerce, told delegates from American enterprises, including Johnson & Johnson and Honeywell, in Shanghai on Monday that China would continue to welcome US business investment.
Meanwhile, the ruling by regulators that Micron products are a threat to national security and China’s key information infrastructure operators – from banks to telecom operators – has been met with relative silence from industry operators.
Few Chinese companies have stepped up to publicly pledge compliance with the ruling or to denounce Micron products, while Chinese vendors of Micron products said they have seen little impact from the decision so far.
A customer service person at Crucial, Micron’s consumer product brand founded in 1996, said via a consumer inquiry on e-commerce site JD.com that they have not received any notice to remove products from the store as of Tuesday, and that they can be “purchased and delivered as normal”.