The information, revealed by several sources close to the matter, highlights a major strategic decision of the American administration. More than a hundred Chinese companies, identified as national security risks, have been approved for inclusion on the Commerce Department’s Entity List. However, their official registration is pending, a first which marks the longest break in updating this list in over a decade.
Which companies are involved and the accusations against them?
At the heart of this waiting list are two major players: DeepSeekan artificial intelligence startup that has shook up the market with its low-cost model, and ChangXin Memory Technologies (CXMT), China’s leading memory chip manufacturer. DeepSeek is accused of supporting military and intelligence operations of China.
The company also allegedly attempted to illegally acquire advanced U.S. chips through shell companies in Southeast Asia. AI giants like Anthropic and OpenAI have also warned of DeepSeek’s attempts toextract abilities of their own models, like Claude. For its part, CXMT had already been designated as a Chinese military company by the Pentagon.
Why such a pause in the application of sanctions?
According to internal sources, this inertia can be explained by a desire toavoid an escalation tensions with Beijing. Jeffrey Kessler, Undersecretary of Commerce for Industry and Security, would seek to moderate the use of the “Entity List” so as not to inflame the technological rivalry between the two superpowers. This approach stands in stark contrast to the warnings of many experts.
Specialists like Philip Luck of the Center for Strategic and International Studies compare the management of this list to “ game of the mole “, where inactivity leaves the field open to adversaries. The absence of new registrations since October is seen by former officials as a sign that commercial policy is taking precedence over a essential tool national security.
What are the concrete consequences of this postponement?
Blocking the publication of the blacklist has direct implications. Waiting companies can continue to supply themselves with American goods, software and technologies without the special licensealmost impossible to obtain, which would otherwise be imposed on them. This situation creates a angle mort potentially dangerous to the security of the United States.
The problem extends well beyond DeepSeek and CXMT. Dozens of other Chinese entities were on the verge of being sanctioned for various reasons: supplying components for Russian dronessale of Nvidia chips subject to restrictions to Chinese universities, or even production of drones and robot dogs for the Chinese army. All currently benefit from this reprieve.
