Lin Tsung-Nan, a professor at National Taiwan University’s Department of Electrical Engineering, told Voice of America (VOA) that Beijing’s decision to cease buying Micron Technology goods will affect China.
Lin told VOA Mandarin that President Xi Jinping blocked Micron in response to the G7’s united declaration on China.
“This is a bit like the ‘Seven Wounded Fist’ in martial arts novels, which will hurt Micron and of course itself [China],” Lin said. “However, China should have calculated, that is, when it hurt itself, it’s not fatal.”
The Wuxia Fandom Wiki says Lin’s talent “allows the user to inflict severe internal injuries on his opponent while suffering grave internal injuries at the same time.”
He told VOA that the Chinese Communist Party will prohibit Micron even if it harms the home market to maintain its rule.
Lin expects Samsung and Hynix to take Micron’s market share following the ban.
Samsung has invested heavily in Chinese DRAM manufacture. Lin claimed Samsung’s weak China sales will encourage it to grab the market.
Even if Seoul is bound by Washington’s desire for South Korean firms not to transfer goods to China, the Chinese Communist Party may urge Samsung’s Chinese plants for “secret deals,” according to Lin.
“This is Xi’s plan to kill two birds with one stone: to show China’s assertiveness, and to rope in South Korea, or to divide South Korea and the US on their China stance.”
On Sunday, the CAC advised “operators of critical information infrastructures in China should stop purchasing products made by Micron Technology” owing to “national security risks.”
VOA stated that China’s decision to restrict Micron after nearly two months of research shocked global businesses in China.
This followed the G7 declaration on China.
The US Department of Commerce called Sunday’s embargo “unsubstantiated,” while Micron, the largest US memory chipmaker, stated, “We have received CAC’s warning…. We’re reviewing the conclusion and future steps. We welcome further dialogue with Chinese officials.”
After this step, Michael Hart, president of the Beijing-based American Chamber of Commerce in China (AmCham China), wrote to VOA Mandarin on Monday that US firms are anxious about becoming the next target of China’s security assessment.
Hart replied via email, “Our members are asking us two things: will they be targeted because they are American, and how can they ensure they remain compliant in a business environment that appears to be increasingly influenced by national security concerns?”
According to VOA, Micron was a trade secret theft victim of China.
In 2018, a San Francisco federal grand jury accused a Chinese state corporation, a Taiwanese chipmaker, and three employees with economic espionage for conspiring to steal Micron’s trade secrets.
United Microelectronics Corporation pled guilty to one count of acquiring and holding a trade secret in 2020. It cooperated with U.S. authorities and paid USD 60 million. UMC denied knowing about Micron’s trade secrets being stolen and given to Jinhua.