As of October 4, 2026, Washington’s ask of allied chipmakers is widening. A letter from Rep. John Moolenaar, chair of the House committee on US-China strategic competition, to Secretary of State Marco Rubio names Samsung Electronics’ Xi’an fab and SK Hynix’s Wuxi and Dalian plants directly. Chinese state-linked media read it as a shift: from blocking China’s advanced-equipment access toward asking allied supply chains to geographically cut their reliance on China.
Key Takeaways
- ■ Commentary carried by Yonhap says US demands are shifting from equipment export controls to cutting allied supply chains’ geographic reliance on China.
- ▼ The letter frames Samsung’s Xi’an and SK Hynix’s Wuxi and Dalian fabs as potential leverage; TrendForce put 30-45% of the firms’ NAND and DRAM output in China.
- ▲ Record memory demand: Micron’s $54.23 billion quarter and a sold-out 2026 HBM book make relocation costlier.
What Washington Is Asking Now
Chinese state-linked outlet Guancha.cn, cited by Yonhap News on October 1, assessed that the demands on US semiconductor allies are changing in nature:
“중국의 첨단 설비 확보를 제한하던 데에서 전체 동맹 공급망에 지리적으로 중국에 대한 의존을 낮출 것을 요구하는 방향으로 점차 바뀌고 있다” (The US is shifting toward demanding allied supply chains geographically cut reliance on China.)
The policy trajectory supports that reading. In 2023, the US designated the two firms’ China plants as “validated end users,” letting most US equipment in without a license. Last year that status was revoked in favor of case-by-case annual approvals, per Yonhap.
Why Samsung’s and SK Hynix’s China Fabs Are in Scope
The September 29 letter names Samsung’s Xi’an NAND hub and SK Hynix’s Wuxi DRAM and Dalian NAND plants. Per Aju Business Daily, TrendForce estimated 30-35% of Samsung’s NAND output last year came from China, plus 35-40% of SK Hynix’s DRAM and 40-45% of its NAND. Guancha.cn read that as US officials treating China-located memory capacity as a supply-chain problem in itself.
Pressure Extends Beyond Semiconductors
Per Global Economic and Asia Today, the letter cites the pace of Korea-China summit exchanges and frames the friction as potentially becoming a “structural shift” in Korea’s external alignment — committee claims, not findings. Korea’s foreign ministry said the alliance is the foundation of its diplomacy.
Why Does Memory Demand Raise the Stakes?
Micron’s fiscal fourth-quarter revenue reached $54.23 billion, nearly five times the year-earlier quarter, per Yonhap, and Maeil Business reported Micron has sold out its entire 2026 HBM volume. Per Chosun Biz, an equipment-industry official said the AI-chip interposer now measures about 5.5 times the largest area an EUV machine can pattern in one exposure (858 mm²), and projected growth to as much as forty times that area. The US itself relies heavily on Korean memory, a reason Guancha.cn gave for any shift being gradual.
What Happens Next
The letter asks the State Department to brief the committee on Korea-China relations by October 31, per Global Economic. How the administration weighs allied investment against the congressional argument over China-based fabs will shape whether annual equipment approvals tighten.
What did the letter ask for?
It urged closer monitoring of Korea-China rapprochement, named the China fabs as potential leverage, and requested a briefing by October 31.
How much memory do the firms make in China?
TrendForce estimates cited by Aju Business Daily put 30-35% of Samsung’s NAND output last year in China, plus 35-40% of SK Hynix’s DRAM and 40-45% of its NAND.
Is the US requiring the fabs to move?
Not in the letter. The commentary cited by Yonhap says policy could evolve toward a gradual reduction of China-located production, but no relocation requirement exists.
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