WASHINGTON — The Coalition for a Prosperous America (CPA) today released a statement regarding reports that Apple has put on hold its plan to use memory chips from China’s government subsidized Yangtze Memory Technologies Co. (YMTC). Earlier this year, CPA and China Tech Threat (CTT) released a policy paper that highlighted the dangers of an impending decision by Apple to begin using Chinese-made memory chips in the iPhone 14. The paper outlines how this decision would create security risks for Apple and the United States, and would risk destabilizing the memory chip market with the real possibility of a western chipmaker going out of business.
CPA and CTT’s paper was cited in a letter last month from U.S. Senators Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Mark Warner (D-VA), Vice Chairman and Chairman of the U.S. Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, to U.S. Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines that called for a public analysis and review of YMTC and the risks it presents to U.S. national security. Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) also signed the letter.
The decision not to use YMTC memory chips in the iPhone, if confirmed by Apple, would be a positive step for U.S. national security and for the U.S. technology industry. It follows the recent imposition of export controls on all U.S. technology companies working with Chinese companies on the Entity List. Early reports suggest that U.S. companies and American citizens working in China on Chinese technology projects have abandoned that work, hobbling Chinese technology development.
“We’re pleased that pressure from CPA, U.S. Senators, and other government officials has resulted in firmer action from the Biden administration to stop U.S. technology companies from helping China develop technology capabilities with military applications,” said CPA Chairman Zach Mottl. “Apple in particular has consistently sourced from and profited off of China despite the CCP’s genocide and egregious human rights abuses, authoritarian aggression to democratic nations and U.S. allies, and efforts to undermine U.S. economic and national security. If Apple is truly an American company, it will announce a clear and permanent end to its plans to do business with YMTC.”
Read CPA and CTT’s full policy paper here.
