U.S. Suspends Licenses To Ship Nuclear Plant Parts To China

The United States has suspended licenses allowing nuclear equipment suppliers to export to Chinese power plants, four people familiar with the matter told Reuters reporters Karen Freifeld and Fanny Potkin.

The U.S. accused China of reneging on terms concerning rare earth elements, while China accused the U.S. of “abusing export control measures.”

The suspensions were issued by the U.S. Department of Commerce and affect licenses for parts and equipment used in nuclear power plants.

The move is part of a broader trend in which both countries have begun restricting each other’s access to critical technologies, shifting the U.S.-China trade conflict from tariffs to supply chain disruptions.

It remains unclear whether a call between U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping will have any effect on the suspensions.

On May 12, both nations agreed to a temporary 90-day rollback of their triple-digit tariffs. However, the truce quickly broke down.

The U.S. accused China of reneging on terms concerning rare earth elements, while China accused the U.S. of “abusing export control measures”—pointing to a U.S. warning that the use of Huawei Ascend AI chips anywhere in the world could violate American export laws.

Westinghouse and Emerson are two U.S.-based companies that supply nuclear technology and equipment to over 400 reactors worldwide, according to additional reporting by Alexandra Alper and David Shepardson for Reuters.