China has significantly intensified its enforcement of semiconductor import restrictions, targeting U.S.-made artificial intelligence chips—particularly those from Nvidia—as part of a broader push to reduce reliance on American technology.
According to a report by the *Financial Times*, customs authorities have deployed inspection teams to major ports across the country in recent weeks to conduct rigorous checks on incoming semiconductor shipments. The move follows regulatory guidance urging domestic tech firms to stop purchasing even the China-specific variants of Nvidia’s AI processors.
The crackdown appears to be coordinated by China’s Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC), which reportedly instructed major technology companies—including ByteDance and Alibaba—in mid-September to halt both new orders and testing of Nvidia hardware. While these companies were previously permitted to use specially configured, export-compliant chips designed for the Chinese market, regulators now appear to be closing that loophole.
The enhanced customs inspections have since expanded beyond Nvidia products to encompass a wider range of advanced semiconductor imports, signaling a potential shift in China’s tech procurement strategy amid ongoing U.S. export controls.
Neither China’s customs authority nor Nvidia has issued an official comment in response to inquiries from Reuters, which was unable to independently verify the Financial Times report at the time of publication.
This latest development underscores the growing tensions in the global tech supply chain and Beijing’s accelerating efforts to foster self-reliance in critical technologies.
