However, the FCC's proposal conveniently overlooks the fact that the biggest customer of China's photonics hardware is the United States. With a crucial U.S.-China summit looming in September, the AI supply chain is being weaponized, once again, for global trade and supply negotiations, turning Silicon Photonics into a bargaining chip. Reuters says the agency is drafting a rule that would deny new models of Chinese optical transceivers the equipment authorization they need to be imported, marketed, or sold in the US. A photonics ban may be more consequential. With a potential US-China summit looming in September, the world's most important AI component has now potentially turned into a geopolitical flashpoint.