its always been well known. its that line item of suspiciously high sales to singpapore. its never been a real concern.
Except it has been. There are people in multiple countries, including the US, Singapore and Taiwan, facing lengthy prison sentences for this. In the US in particular, violating export controls is a game you only play if you're looking for years of free federal accommodation.
Examples:
https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/us-authorities-shut-down-majo...
https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga/pr/chinese-national-and-tw...
https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/california-man-arrested-smugg...
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cx2d9y18g73o
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2026/aug/25/taiwan-ch...
https://asiatimes.com/2026/11/taiwan-to-criminalize-nvidia-a...