U.S. Officials Mulled Broader China Tech Restrictions Before London Trade Talks

Before the Trump administration’s recent trade talks with Chinese officials in London, U.S. Commerce Department officials weighed new technology export restrictions against China, the Wall Street Journal reported.

The officials ultimately didn’t announce the tougher restrictions after the U.S. and China agreed on a plan to get trade negotiations back on track. But if tensions between Washington and Beijing escalate again, U.S. officials could revisit the idea of the restrictions.

Before the talks, U.S. officials considered broadening the scope of existing U.S. restrictions on sales of  chip-manufacturing equipment to China, according to the newspaper. Such a move would have limited the export of equipment not only for advanced chips but also for more ordinary chips.

The officials discussed the possibility of tougher restrictions as an option if the trade talks in London hadn’t gone well, according to the newspaper.