China has banned the US microchip company Micron from the country’s infrastructure projects, calling it a national security risk as it retaliates against the Biden administration’s semiconductor restrictions.

The announcement from China’s cyberspace administration comes amid a growing tech war between the two superpowers and as fears mount that a Chinese invasion of Taiwan could cripple the global electronics industry.

China on Sunday said Micron, which is the biggest US maker of memory chips, posed “serious network security risks” as it banned the technology.

The US said the restrictions “have no basis in fact”.

The US has made a series of moves to restrict China’s access to the most advanced microchip technology under both the Trump and Biden administrations. It has also banned the use of Chinese tech manufactured by ZTE and Huawei, citing national security risks, and put pressure on allies to enact similar bans.

The action against Micron is the first time China has directly retaliated against a US company.

New York Times News Service