The US Department of Commerce has just added yet another Chinese company into the corporate Entity List. OFILM, the global supplier of OV lens, fingerprint technologies, and other smart gadgets for automobiles is the new one being added to the list. This results in barring the company to use technologies of American companies freely, and need a special export license.
US Adds Chinese OFILM to Entity List
Trump’s administration has been stamping down several Chinese companies since last year. The list includes Huawei, Chinese Telecom, and other technology companies, which were repeatedly targeted for being Chinese spies.
Thus, these were blocked from making free transactions with American companies as before and requires a special export license to leverage their technologies.
And now, the list has a new name – OFILM, a Shenzhen based company that’s known from making micro camera modules like OV lens, touch tech, display modules, fingerprint scanners, etc. Further, it also supplies smart equipment for automotive products.
Its customers include Huawei, Xiaomi, Oppo, Vivo, Samsung, and Sony. And automotive firms like SAIC Motor, Geely Automobile, and Changan Automobile.
Thus, pushing this to entity list means barring the free flow of all these critical equipment to those companies. Since OFILM is using American technologies to make such products, the US government would then have the right to command its operations indirectly.
And this act could further suppress Huawei, which has lost control over Qualcomm’s chips and Google services earlier.
OFILM has responded to this new listing as, “We call on the United States to re-examine it and look forward to communicating with relevant U.S. authorities on this matter, hoping to be treated fairly.”
Further, “OFILM will take active and proper response measures and continue to provide customers with high-quality products and services. The company also said it will continue to provide all employees with an equal, friendly, and positive working atmosphere and career development path.”
