Vice President Kamala Harris vowed to build an economy that supports both business and the middle class as she unveiled new details about her economic policy on Wednesday. She stressed that the goal is for America, not China, to lead the race to the 21st century.
Speaking at the Economic Club of Pittsburgh, Ms Harris stressed that she was “pragmatic” and open to “good ideas from anywhere,” defended her proposal to cut taxes on American manufacturing and pledged to impose tariffs that wouldn’t cause a “draining of jobs.”
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Claims
In her speech, Harris criticized President Trump’s proposal to impose high tariffs on China, including 10-20 percent tariffs on all imports and 60 percent tariffs on Chinese products, and said Trump’s policies have given China better access to advanced semiconductor chips for military use.
“Donald Trump is actually exporting advanced semiconductor chips to China to help advance China’s military capabilities. I want you to understand the impact of these so-called policies, which are not a plan to enhance our prosperity or security,” Harris said.
fact
The claim that President Trump “betrayed” the United States by exporting semiconductors to China is not supported by evidence.
Indeed, the Trump administration has taken significant steps to limit China’s access to sensitive technology, including semiconductors, blocking a Chinese company’s acquisition of U.S. chipmaker Lattice Semiconductor in 2017, citing national security risks.
In late 2020, just before leaving office, President Trump imposed strict restrictions on major Chinese semiconductor and drone makers, including China’s largest semiconductor maker, Semiconductor Manufacturing International Co. (SMIC), over concerns that exports to SMIC could be used for military purposes.
The Commerce Department said sales to SMIC “could pose an unacceptable risk of diversion to military end uses” in China. The measures are part of a broader effort to limit China’s access to advanced technologies that could have military applications.
But Trump’s blacklist of products for Chinese companies had loopholes, including limited restrictions on advanced semiconductors and exemptions for U.S. companies looking to expand their market share overseas.
The Trump administration banned sales to Huawei and other Chinese telecommunications giants in 2019, but reversed course six weeks later after U.S. chipmakers asked the president to ease the sanctions. Trump allowed the deals to continue as long as they didn’t create a “significant national emergency.”
Verdict
error.
We find Ms. Harris’s assertions to be highly misleading.
The Trump Administration has taken aggressive steps to limit China’s access to U.S.-made semiconductors, particularly where exports pose national security risks.
While China’s military, state-run AI research institutes, and universities have found ways to get around the U.S. ban and obtain chips from U.S. companies like Nvidia, this does not mean the Trump administration was involved in selling chips to China to bolster its military, as Harris suggested.
Both administrations have dealt with the complexities of semiconductor exports differently. The Biden administration, in which Harris plays a key role, has expanded restrictions on critical technology exports to China since 2022. But it has also come under criticism for relaxing some of those restrictions, notably by allowing certain sales to companies like Huawei.
Fact Check by Newsweek
