The U.S. government is trying to stop China from selling chips to Russia that aid its war effort. It’s failing.
Illustration by Sam Ward
In June 2022, the U.S. Commerce Department placed Shenzhen-based Winninc Electronics on the Entity List. Seven months later, it sanctioned another Shenzhen-based firm, AOOK Technology, as well. As exporters of semiconductors and electronic components, the companies were accused of supporting Russia’s military and defense industrial base. By sanctioning them, the U.S. hoped to stem the flow of components made by American companies from enabling Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The flow, however, continued. An investigation by The Wire has found that there are at least four companies directly linked to Winninc and AOOK that are not sanctioned, with many of them continuing to ship chips to Russia. The discovery highlights how critical components, including those made by prominent U.S. firms, may still be ending up on the Ukrainian battlefield, despite one of the most expansive sanctions regimes ever attempted by the U.S. government.
In the case of Winninc and AOOK, this is la
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