New York

US PRESIDENT Donald Trump blocked a Chinese-backed private equity firm from buying a US chipmaker, sending a clear signal to Beijing that Washington will oppose deals that involve technologies with potential military applications.

Canyon Bridge Capital Partners' planned US$1.3 billion acquisition of Lattice Semiconductor Corp was one of the largest attempted by a Chinese-backed firm in the US chip sector and was the first announced deal for the Palo Alto-based firm, which launched last year with a focus on technology investments.