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U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick speaks with reporters in front of a federal court in Washington, D.C., on the 27th of last month (local time). / AP, Yonhap

U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick indicated that the issue of export controls against China is unlikely to be addressed at the upcoming U.S.-China summit scheduled for late this month (local time) in Washington, D.C.

Asked about the possibility of including the easing of export controls on the summit agenda during a video interview with U.S. financial news outlet CNBC on the 2nd, Secretary Lutnick responded, "No, I don't believe so."

He stated that U.S. President Donald Trump had offered to sell certain types of semiconductors to China, but the Chinese side did not accept the proposal.

He added, "China had all sorts of concerns and ultimately chose not to buy the chips. I do not think it is necessary because we cannot achieve what was originally intended by it."

He further noted, "President Trump extended an olive branch, but they did not take it."

Since 2022, the U.S. administration has restricted exports of artificial intelligence semiconductors developed and produced domestically to China, citing concerns that their flow could bolster Beijing's military and technological capabilities.

The Department of Commerce authorized exports of Nvidia's H200 AI chip to China in January this year, but China had restricted imports due to its own security concerns and efforts to shield its domestic semiconductor sector, before reportedly beginning to allow in small shipment volumes starting in July.

                                                                                                           Kim Hyun-min