Two Chinese nationals were charged this week by the United States with trying to illegally export chip-making kits to a company at home, in another twist in the technology wars between the two nations.
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The US Department of Justice (DoJ) said the couple, Anson Li and Lin Chen, were charged with conspiracy to illegally export US technology to a sanctioned Chinese company, Chengdu GaStone Technology Company (CGTC). If convicted, the couple risk long prison terms and hefty fines. The charge was dismissed on 25 April.
Li is believed to remain in China, so the wrath of US justice seems likely to fall on Chen, who was arrested in Chicago this week.
It is understood that the technology in question was a DTX-150 Automatic Diamond Scriber Breaker machine from Dynatex International of Santa Rosa, California. This is used to cut semiconductor wafers into individual dies and, under Commerce Department regulations, requires a license and authorization to export to CGTC.
