US Races to Close Loophole in Ban on China Tech Firm Inspur, Bloomberg, Mar. 10, 2023.
By Jenny Leonard and Ian King
Commerce aims to publish restrictions on affiliates in weeks
US sustains campaign to cut off US sales to China tech sector
The US is working to close a loophole in restrictions imposed on Inspur Group that leaves American companies such as Intel Corp. free to keep supplying the Chinese server maker’s affiliates.
The US Department of Commerce this month added Inspur and dozens of its peers to an export blacklist that already included major names from Huawei Technologies Co. to AI giant SenseTime Group Inc. and camera maker Hikvision. But it didn’t specify all of Inspur’s affiliates, of which there are dozens.
White House and Commerce officials are aware of the issue and working to close off the legal avenue they left open, according to people familiar with the matter. But until revised rules are published, suppliers such as Nvidia Corp. and Cisco Systems Inc. will remain free to deal with Inspur without getting permission from the US government. That may take several weeks, the people said, asking not to be identified discussing sensitive deliberations.
Shares of listed arm Inspur Electronic Information Industry Co. extended losses and closed more than 7% lower Friday, taking its loss since the sanctions were unveiled to more than 26%. Several other group affiliates including Inspur Software Co. also fell.
The loopholes are complicating Washington’s campaign to contain China’s tech sector, and spurring criticism over the ultimate efficacy of measures intended to cut off the flow of vital American technology. A spokesman for the Commerce Department declined to comment. A spokeswoman for the National Security Councilalso declined to comment. Representatives for Inspur didn’t respond to requests for comment.
(Read more: In Blacklisting Inspur, US Targets Partner Used by Intel and IBM)
At the heart of the issue is Chinese enterprises’ penchant for complex networks of subsidiaries, often with opaque links to the parent corporation.
Inspur, a key partner to US companies from Cisco to IBM and Intel, directly owns shares in around 30 firms. Those cover a wide spectrum of businesses including hardware, AI, cloud computing, investment, financial services and air transport, according to Tianyancha, a platform that tracks registration information. Some of the subsidiaries own dozens of units. Its JV with Cisco for example, is buried under three layers of companies.
Inspur was added to the so-called Entity List last week for acquiring, or attempting to acquire, US-origin items in support of China’s military modernization. US restrictions typically require companies to seek a license before exporting to named entities. The Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security has told applicants they should presume that those requests will be denied.
Once a state-owned electronics factory, Inspur is one of the country’s oldest IT brands: Its transistors went into China’s first man-made satellite in 1970. The company has since blossomed into a server specialist and joined an informal club of Chinese national champions that include Huawei and chipmaker Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp.
Inspur’s clout and market reach attracted a host of foreign companies that found it difficult to crack the Chinese market. It set up joint ventures with Cisco and IBM several years ago so that their products can more easily gain Chinese approvals and pass security checks — a common practice. In return, Inspur benefits from its US partners’ longer experience in dealing with international markets.
It’s unclear how long Washington has kept an eye on Inspur. The Pentagon said in 2020 that it’s a company controlled by China’s military. Inspur, which also provides cloud services, is regarded as integral to the government’s effort to replace foreign-made technology and propel domestic innovation.
Read more: US Expands Crackdown on China With Export Ban on Inspur, BGI
— With assistance by Yuan Gao