CHIPMAKER Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp. (SMIC) said its technology is not for military use after Reuters reported that the Trump administration was considering adding the Hong Kong and Shanghai-listed firm to a trade blacklist.

“The company manufactures semiconductors and provides services solely for civilian and commercial end-users and end-uses. We have no relationship with the Chinese military,” SMIC said in a statement Saturday. “Any assumptions of the company’s ties with the Chinese military are untrue statements and false accusations.”

The Trump administration is considering whether to add China’s top chipmaker SMIC to a trade blacklist, a U.S. Defense Department official said, according to the Reuters report Friday.

A Pentagon spokeswoman said the Defense Department was working with other U.S. agencies to determine whether to make the move against SMIC, which would force U.S. suppliers to seek a difficult-to-obtain license before shipping to the company.

Earlier last week, the Pentagon made a proposal to place SMIC on the entity list to the End User Committee, a panel led by the U.S. Commerce Department that also includes the State and Energy Departments and makes decisions about entity listings.

The Trump administration has often used the entity list, which now includes more than 275 China-based firms, to hit key Chinese industries, from telecom equipment giants Huawei Technologies and ZTE to surveillance camera maker Hikvision. (SD-Agencies)