In February 2026, several members of the US House of Representatives jointly sent a letter to the State Department and the Department of Commerce, calling for a comprehensive escalation of export controls on wafer fabrication equipment (WFE) to China. The new proposal mandates: a total ban on the sale of all types of chip manufacturing equipment to China, except for equipment that can be independently produced within China, along with restrictions on after-sales maintenance services for equipment already sold. The lawmakers pointed out that loopholes exist in the current system, which focuses on 'end-users' as the control targets, allowing non-US suppliers to still export critical equipment to China through licenses. The proposal also urges the United States to collaborate with its allies to establish a multilateral embargo mechanism targeting 'subcomponents of key bottleneck equipment,' ensuring a comprehensive ban on the sale of advanced chip manufacturing equipment to China.