In brief: While the US has further tightened restrictions on chip-related exports to China recently, there are some entities in the country that have been on an export blacklist for decades. One of these is China's top nuclear-weapons research institute, but that hasn't stopped it from regularly buying Intel and Nvidia hardware.
Why it matters: After USA-based manufacturers, Dutch and Japanese companies are now preparing a harsher ban on technology exports to China. The Asian country won't have access to any of the machinery needed to make high-performance microchips.
Why it matters: Chris Wray has once again shared Washington's concerns over TikTok, an incredibly popular video app that could pose an unprecedented threat to US security. The issue is in the algorithm, and its permeability to the Communist Party's dystopian techno-control apparatus.
A hot potato: Like a train leaving the station, it now seems inevitable that US companies are moving to reduce, or entirely eliminate, their reliance on China. It took a long time to get started, companies had been complaining about changing conditions in China for a decade. The 2018 trade war was the spark that really got them moving, and their progress has only been gaining momentum since then. This process will take years, maybe decades, but at this point is probably unstoppable.