ISTANBUL

US President Donald Trump demanded Thursday that Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan resign "immediately" over alleged ties to Chinese companies with military connections.

"The CEO of INTEL is highly CONFLICTED and must resign, immediately," Trump wrote on Truth Social. "There is no other solution to this problem," he said.

Trump's demand follows concerns about Tan's reported investments in Chinese semiconductor firms allegedly linked to the Chinese Communist Party and People's Liberation Army.

Republican Senator Tom Cotton raised similar concerns in a letter to Intel's board on Wednesday, questioning Tan's ability to fulfill obligations under US government grants like the CHIPS Act given his China connections.

Cotton said Tan, who became Intel CEO in March, controls dozens of Chinese companies and has stakes in hundreds of Chinese advanced-manufacturing and chip firms, and at least eight companies allegedly have military ties.

Before joining Intel, Tan led Cadence Design Systems, which recently pleaded guilty to illegally selling export-controlled American technologies to entities connected to the Chinese military, the senator said in the letter.

Intel did not immediately respond to Trump's statement but shares of the US chip giant dropped following the president's comments.