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Semiconductors have been a major flash point in the ongoing
trade war between the two countries, with U.S. officials
criticizing what they say are state-subsidised efforts to
undermine the U.S. chip industry.
In recent years China has invested billions of dollars in its
semiconductor industry, including contributions to a high-end
Tsinghua Unigroup memory chip plant said to be worth $24
billion. Link https://www.reuters.com/article/china-semiconductors-fund/china-invites-overseas-investors-to-propel-local-chip-ambitions-idUSL3N1S234U
Tsinghua Unigroup chairman Zhao Weiguo said at a conference in
Beijing on Friday that U.S. firms should "relax and sleep well",
urging them not to be threatened by China's semiconductor
ambitions, and to play a greater role in easing tensions.
"On the one hand, they're earning lots of money here in China,
and on the other hand, they're making malicious remarks about
China to the U.S. government behind the scenes."
"U.S. companies can do better, especially technology giants.
Some American companies do well, and some do not," said Zhao.
Earlier this year, Tsinghua Unigroup said it had begun producing
China's first high-end 64-layer 3D NAND flash memory chips, a
major competitive technology currently dominated by U.S. and
South Korean firms. State media hailed the project as a
"breakthrough" in the county's efforts to shorten technological
gaps with foreign countries.
China and the U.S. recently agreed to roll back tariffs as part
of a pending "phase one" trade deal. Chinese negotiators have
previously sought relief from 25% tariffs on a group of goods
that include semiconductors.
(Reporting by Gabriel Crossley; Writing by Cate Cadell; Editing
by Kirsten Donovan)
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