President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he will soon announce whether the U.S. will ease export restrictions on micro chips to certain Gulf countries. “We may do that,” Trump said. “It will be announced soon.”
Trump is preparing for the first major diplomatic trip next week, including a tour of the Middle East from Saudi Arabia.
The Biden administration has tightly controlled concerns about U.S. AI chip exports to the Middle East, as they fear that precious semiconductors could be transferred to China and utilize military forces to Beijing to enhance them. But Trump has established ties with certain countries in the region, becoming a key goal of his administration.
Trump is preparing for the first major diplomatic trip next week, including a tour of the Middle East from Saudi Arabia.
The Biden administration has tightly controlled concerns about U.S. AI chip exports to the Middle East, as they fear that precious semiconductors could be transferred to China and utilize military forces to Beijing to enhance them. But Trump has established ties with certain countries in the region, becoming a key goal of his administration.
Trump also said he also plans to talk about the U.S. report that it is making changes to the name of the Persian Gulf to the Arabian Gulf or Arabian Gulf. Such a move would be welcomed by the leaders of the Arab Gulf and could arouse Iran's anger.
(Reported by Jeff Mason and Jarrett Renshaw and Alexandra Alper; Editors by Chris Reese and Chizu Nomiyama)
