Trump administration orders some US companies to halt sales to China

The Trump administration has told US companies that offer software used to design semiconductors to stop selling their services to Chinese groups, in the latest attempt to make it harder for China to develop advanced chips, the Financial Times reported.

Several people familiar with the move told Financial Times that the US Department of Commerce had told so-called electronic design automation groups — which include Cadence, Synopsys and Siemens EDA — to stop supplying their technology to China. The Bureau of Industry and Security, the arm of the US commerce department that oversees export controls, issued the directive to the companies via letters, according to the sources cited by Financial Times.

The New York Times subsequently reported on Wednesday that sales to China of jet engine technology and certain chemicals were also halted.

The Commerce Department told CNN on Wednesday it is “reviewing exports of strategic significance to China.” “In some cases, Commerce has suspended existing export licenses or imposed additional license requirements while the review is pending,” a spokesperson told CNN.