China has asked the United States to ease export controls on high-bandwidth memory chips—components regarded as critical for artificial-intelligence processing—as part of ongoing trade negotiations, the Financial Times reported on 10 August, citing people familiar with the talks. Beijing’s request, conveyed by a delegation led by Vice-Premier He Lifeng, comes as the two sides discuss a broader agreement that could pave the way for a summit between Presidents Donald Trump and Xi Jinping later this year. The controls, first tightened by the Biden administration in 2024, restrict U.S. companies from selling advanced HBM chips to Chinese firms without a licence. Chinese officials argue that the current curbs are hampering domestic groups such as Huawei and SMIC in developing next-generation AI semiconductors. Some U.S. officials, according to the FT, are concerned that relaxing the rules would give Beijing a technological edge, but also acknowledge that the measures limit American chipmakers’ access to one of their largest markets. The White House, State Department and China’s foreign ministry have not commented on the report. The negotiations unfold against a backdrop of wider trade frictions, including Washington’s 145 per cent tariff on Chinese goods that took effect in April, and a series of Chinese restrictions on exports of strategic metals.