'Everything is on the table': Trump administration reportedly considering curbs on exports made using US software to China

The US and Chinese governments have been battling it out once more over trade policies, and the big point of contention this time round is Beijing's latest raft of rare earth export restrictions, requiring foreign companies to obtain an export license for products containing the vital materials.

According to a Reuters report, the Trump administration is currently considering multiple different plans in response—one of which being new restrictions on exports to China on items made with, or containing, US-made software.

That would track with Trump's recent threat to impose export controls on "any and all critical software", announced alongside a new 100% tariff on Chinese goods earlier this month. According to Reuters, the Trump administration's plans are still under discussion, but a US official and three people briefed by US authorities have confirmed that a wide software export restriction is one of many plans currently under consideration.

US treasury secretary Scott Bessent said that "everything is on the table" when asked specifically about the potential software curbs on Wednesday. "If these export controls—whether it's software, engines, or other things—happen, it will likely be in coordination with our G7 allies," he confirmed.

If the restrictions were to go ahead, the number of products affected could potentially be dizzying, as US software is used in the production of a huge array of products, from jet engines to farming equipment. Microsoft Windows and Google's Android operating system are also widely-used throughout the country, and although there are Chinese equivalents, like Huawei's Harmony OS, the knock on effect of US-software reliant devices and equipment being barred from export to Chinese shores would likely be a huge blow to China's economy.

On the other hand, it's possible that a de minimis rule may have a part to play here if this plan comes into force. While some reports indicate that all items made with or containing US-made software could be affected, it's feasible to think that something more reasonable, like defining whether a product would fall under the restrictions based on a percentage value of US-software used in its production, would be a more likely play.

It's difficult to know for sure, as US China trade relations seem to have devolved into a game of brinksmanship at this point, as the two countries circle each other with ever-increasing rhetoric. US president Donald Trump is scheduled to meet with Chinese president Xi Jinping in South Korea next week for face-to-face talks, and I would imagine trade restrictions would be high on the agenda.

It wouldn't be the first time a face-to-face meeting with a world leader resulted in Trump changing his administration's position, so I'd say it was likely that any formal announcement would be held back until the talks were over, at the very least.

In fact, it would line-up with Trump's earlier 100% Chinese tariff declaration, which stated that the "critical software" export controls would come into effect on November 1. Trump's meeting with Xi Jinping is scheduled for October 30, so it looks like we might not have long to wait before we find out exactly how far the US government is prepared to go in this recent round of trade negotiations.

Best graphics card 2025

1. Best overall: AMD Radeon RX 9070

2. Best value: AMD Radeon RX 9060 XT 16 GB

3. Best budget: Intel Arc B570

4. Best mid-range: Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070 Ti

5. Best high-end: Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090

👉Check out our full graphics card guide👈