U.S. Lawmakers Urge Ban on Chinese Memory Chips, Citing National Security Risks

U.S. lawmakers John Moolenaar and George Whitesides have formally requested Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick to ban imports of memory chips from Chinese manufacturers CXMT and YMTC, citing unacceptable risks to national, economic, and supply chain security. The lawmakers argue that purchases from these companies, which are already on Pentagon and Commerce Department blacklists, indirectly support Chinese military development of dual-use technologies. They also urge the U.S. to coordinate with allies including Japan, South Korea, and the EU to prevent Chinese memory firms from exploiting global supply shortages to entrench themselves in Western supply chains. The request comes as Apple and other American tech companies seek to source memory from CXMT amid a global DRAM shortage driven by AI infrastructure expansion. The lawmakers warn that dependence on Chinese memory could permanently weaken Western production capacity and create strategic leverage for China, similar to its playbook in solar, steel, telecom, and EV markets.