On August 14 local time, according to a report by the U.S. Wall Street Journal, U.S. Commerce Secretary Lutnick has urged major American IT company Apple not to source semiconductor memory chips from China. However, Apple may still proceed with such procurement.

Speaking after visiting a manufacturing facility of Apple in Houston, Lutnick said: "The Trump administration does not support this... There should be other solutions for memory chip issues. It's not beneficial for great American companies to use memory chips made in China."

This incident is a microcosm of intense clashes between commercial interests, geopolitics, and industrial protectionism. At its core lies Apple’s desire to alleviate cost pressures by purchasing memory chips from China—contradicting the Trump administration’s strategic goal of decoupling from China and protecting domestic industries.

Currently, the AI boom has led to global tightness in memory chip supply, causing prices to quadruple within a year. As one of the world’s largest buyers, Apple has been severely affected, even raising prices on certain products as a result.

To relieve pressure, Apple CEO Tim Cook and other executives have been actively lobbying the Trump administration for months, seeking permission to purchase chips from Chinese manufacturers Yangtze Memory Technologies (YMTC) and ChangXin Memory Technologies (CXMT).

As the sole large-scale memory chip manufacturer in the United States, Micron Technology firmly opposes this move, warning it would destroy the domestic U.S. memory chip industry.

Commerce Secretary Lutnick made his position clear: "The Trump administration does not approve," and emphasized that "large American enterprises should not use memory chips manufactured in China." This stance aligns with his broader policy of bringing chip manufacturing back to the United States.

This is a contest between short-term commercial interests and long-term strategic goals.

From a short-term perspective, Apple will likely continue searching for loopholes or exerting pressure, possibly using Chinese-made chips in specific markets (such as China) to cut costs.

But in the long run, under the umbrella of America’s broadened “national security” framework, the U.S. government is highly likely to maintain sustained pressure, compelling Apple to sever ties with China in its supply chain.

Therefore, this is not merely an instance of procurement being blocked—it is a landmark event symbolizing how global supply chains are being forcibly reshaped under political pressure.

Original article: toutiao.com/article/1873579485373450/

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author.