Chinese chip maker YMTC denies ties with Chinese military, says products not for military use
- YMTC is the most well-known Chinese firm among over a dozen Chinese tech companies added to the US Defence Department-administrated 1260H list
- Being on the list does not mean a complete ban by the US, but it does render the firms ineligible for Defence Department contracts
Chinese flash memory chip giant Yangtze Memory Technologies Corp (YMTC) denied it has ties with the Chinese military, saying it is in talks with Washington to address the allegation after it was named on a US Defence Department list of firms that pose national security risks.
“We are in the process of working with the US government to address our inclusion on the 1260H list, which was imposed without prior notification,” YMTC said in a statement in response to a Post inquiry on Saturday.
Wuhan-based YMTC said it is an integrated device manufacturer focusing on the design and manufacture of 3D NAND flash memory. “Our technology is not military grade nor fitted for military applications,” the statement added.
“Further, we have not supplied, or been directed by any entity, to supply our technology for military use,” the statement said. “As a private company, YMTC is not owned or controlled by the Chinese military and [we] refute any allegation that we pose a threat to US national security.”
YMTC is the most well-known Chinese firm among over a dozen Chinese tech companies added earlier this week to the US Defence Department-administrated 1260H list, which was established under the National Defence Authorisation Act for fiscal year 2021. The list is updated annually by the Defence Department.
The Pentagon alleges that these companies pose a national security risk, in an escalation to US-China tensions centred on the hi-tech industry.
