<p><span class="region">Washington</span>
<p>The United States said Monday it is opening an investigation into China's policies for its semiconductor industry, over concerns that Beijing is turning to "extensive anticompetitive and non-market means" to undermine other economies.</p></p>
<p>The probe centres on foundational semiconductors -- which go into everything from cars to medical devices -- and whether China's actions create burdens for US commerce, said the US Trade Representative's (USTR) office.</p>
<p>The fear is that Beijing's practices undermine "the competitiveness of American industry and workers, critical US supply chains, and US economic security," the USTR's office added.</p>
<p>Beijing slammed the move as "protectionist," vowing to defend its interests and urging Washington to halt its "wrong practices."</p>
<p>The investigation falls under Section 301 of the Trade Act, the same tool used during President-elect Donald Trump's first administration to justify tariff hikes on Chinese products.</p>
<p>"We have seen time and again, a pattern of harmful impact from nonmarket policies and practices across industries that the PRC has targeted for worldwide market dominance," said USTR Katherine Tai, referring to the People's Republic of China.</p>
<p>Previous instances included steel, aluminum, solar cells, electric vehicles, and now semiconductors, Tai told reporters on Sunday.</p>
<p>"This is enabling its companies to rapidly expand capacity and to offer artificially lower-priced chips that threaten to significantly harm and potentially eliminate fair, market-oriented competition," Tai added.</p>
<h2><strong>Sector dominance</strong></h2>
<p>In a notice, USTR said China "nearly doubled its global share of foundational logic semiconductors production capacity" in just six years.</p>
<p>China's share is set to reach about half the world's capacity by 2029, based on announced new fabrication plants, and this expansion "is already discouraging investment by market-oriented actors," USTR added.</p>
<p>Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said an analysis of the US semiconductor supply chain found two-thirds of US products contain Chinese-made foundational chips.</p>
<p>"About half of companies didn't know whether they had Chinese chips in their products," she added.</p>
<p>In recent years, President Joe Biden has sought to shore up US chipmaking capabilities to reduce reliance on other countries. </p>
<p>The latest probe will initially focus on China's foundational semiconductors production, including the extent these are used in other products like medical devices and vehicles.</p>
<p>The probe is also expected to consider whether Beijing's policies on inputs for semiconductor fabrication contribute to "burden or restriction on US commerce," the USTR's office said.</p>
<p>"This investigation is part of our broader strategy to strengthen the resilience of our supply chains and revitalize domestic manufacturing," said National Economic Advisor Lael Brainard.</p>
<p>Officials will have a year to handle the investigation and decide on responses.</p>
<p><em>Disclaimer: This story has been published from a news agency feed with minimal edits to adhere to WION's style guide. The headline may have been changed to better reflect the content of the story or to make it more suitable for WION audience.</em></p>


The probe centers on foundational semiconductors -- which go into everything from cars to medical devices -- and whether China's actions create burdens for US commerce, said the US Trade Representative's (USTR) office.



Washington The United States said Monday it is opening an investigation into China's policies for its semiconductor industry, over concerns that Beijing is turning to "extensive anticompetitive and non-market means" to undermine other economies. The probe centres on foundational semiconductors -- which go into everything from cars to medical devices -- and whether China's actions create burdens for US commerce, said the US Trade Representative's (USTR) office. The fear is that Beijing's practices undermine "the competitiveness of American industry and workers, critical US supply chains, and US economic security," the USTR's office added. Beijing slammed the move as "protectionist," vowing to defend its interests and urging Washington to halt its "wrong practices." The investigation falls under Section 301 of the Trade Act, the same tool used during President-elect Donald Trump's first administration to justify tariff hikes on Chinese products. "We have seen time and again, a pattern of harmful impact from nonmarket policies and practices across industries that the PRC has targeted for worldwide market dominance," said USTR Katherine Tai, referring to the People's Republic of China. Previous instances included steel, aluminum, solar cells, electric vehicles, and now semiconductors, Tai told reporters on Sunday. "This is enabling its companies to rapidly expand capacity and to offer artificially lower-priced chips that threaten to significantly harm and potentially eliminate fair, market-oriented competition," Tai added. Sector dominance In a notice, USTR said China "nearly doubled its global share of foundational logic semiconductors production capacity" in just six years. China's share is set to reach about half the world's capacity by 2029, based on announced new fabrication plants, and this expansion "is already discouraging investment by market-oriented actors," USTR added. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said an analysis of the US semiconductor supply chain found two-thirds of US products contain Chinese-made foundational chips. "About half of companies didn't know whether they had Chinese chips in their products," she added. In recent years, President Joe Biden has sought to shore up US chipmaking capabilities to reduce reliance on other countries. The latest probe will initially focus on China's foundational semiconductors production, including the extent these are used in other products like medical devices and vehicles. The probe is also expected to consider whether Beijing's policies on inputs for semiconductor fabrication contribute to "burden or restriction on US commerce," the USTR's office said. "This investigation is part of our broader strategy to strengthen the resilience of our supply chains and revitalize domestic manufacturing," said National Economic Advisor Lael Brainard. Officials will have a year to handle the investigation and decide on responses. Disclaimer: This story has been published from a news agency feed with minimal edits to adhere to WION's style guide. The headline may have been changed to better reflect the content of the story or to make it more suitable for WION audience.

US to probe China's chip industry over THIS concern

<p>The United States said Monday it is opening an investigation into China's policies for its semiconductor industry, over concerns that Beijing is turning to "extensive anticompetitive and non-market means" to undermine other economies.</p>

<p>The probe centres on foundational semiconductors -- which go into everything from cars to medical devices -- and whether China's actions create burdens for US commerce, said the US Trade Representative's (USTR) office.</p>

<p>The fear is that Beijing's practices undermine "the competitiveness of American industry and workers, critical US supply chains, and US economic security," the USTR's office added.</p>

<p>Beijing slammed the move as "protectionist," vowing to defend its interests and urging Washington to halt its "wrong practices."</p>

<p>The investigation falls under Section 301 of the Trade Act, the same tool used during President-elect Donald Trump's first administration to justify tariff hikes on Chinese products.</p>

<p>"We have seen time and again, a pattern of harmful impact from nonmarket policies and practices across industries that the PRC has targeted for worldwide market dominance," said USTR Katherine Tai, referring to the People's Republic of China.</p>

<p>Previous instances included steel, aluminum, solar cells, electric vehicles, and now semiconductors, Tai told reporters on Sunday.</p>

<p>"This is enabling its companies to rapidly expand capacity and to offer artificially lower-priced chips that threaten to significantly harm and potentially eliminate fair, market-oriented competition," Tai added.</p>

<h2><strong>Sector dominance</strong></h2>

<p>In a notice, USTR said China "nearly doubled its global share of foundational logic semiconductors production capacity" in just six years.</p>

<p>China's share is set to reach about half the world's capacity by 2029, based on announced new fabrication plants, and this expansion "is already discouraging investment by market-oriented actors," USTR added.</p>

<p>Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said an analysis of the US semiconductor supply chain found two-thirds of US products contain Chinese-made foundational chips.</p>

<p>"About half of companies didn't know whether they had Chinese chips in their products," she added.</p>

<p>In recent years, President Joe Biden has sought to shore up US chipmaking capabilities to reduce reliance on other countries.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The latest probe will initially focus on China's foundational semiconductors production, including the extent these are used in other products like medical devices and vehicles.</p>

<p>The probe is also expected to consider whether Beijing's policies on inputs for semiconductor fabrication contribute to "burden or restriction on US commerce," the USTR's office said.</p>

<p>"This investigation is part of our broader strategy to strengthen the resilience of our supply chains and revitalize domestic manufacturing," said National Economic Advisor Lael Brainard.</p>

<p>Officials will have a year to handle the investigation and decide on responses.</p>

<p><em>Disclaimer: This story has been published from a news agency feed with minimal edits to adhere to WION's style guide. The headline may have been changed to better reflect the content of the story or to make it more suitable for WION&nbsp;audience.</em><br />
&nbsp;</p>


The United States said Monday it is opening an investigation into China's policies for its semiconductor industry, over concerns that Beijing is turning to "extensive anticompetitive and non-market means" to undermine other economies.

The United States said Monday it is opening an investigation into China's policies for its semiconductor industry, over concerns that Beijing is turning to "extensive anticompetitive and non-market means" to undermine other economies. The probe centres on foundational semiconductors -- which go into everything from cars to medical devices -- and whether China's actions create burdens for US commerce, said the US Trade Representative's (USTR) office. The fear is that Beijing's practices undermine "the competitiveness of American industry and workers, critical US supply chains, and US economic security," the USTR's office added. Beijing slammed the move as "protectionist," vowing to defend its interests and urging Washington to halt its "wrong practices." The investigation falls under Section 301 of the Trade Act, the same tool used during President-elect Donald Trump's first administration to justify tariff hikes on Chinese products. "We have seen time and again, a pattern of harmful impact from nonmarket policies and practices across industries that the PRC has targeted for worldwide market dominance," said USTR Katherine Tai, referring to the People's Republic of China. Previous instances included steel, aluminum, solar cells, electric vehicles, and now semiconductors, Tai told reporters on Sunday. "This is enabling its companies to rapidly expand capacity and to offer artificially lower-priced chips that threaten to significantly harm and potentially eliminate fair, market-oriented competition," Tai added. Sector dominance In a notice, USTR said China "nearly doubled its global share of foundational logic semiconductors production capacity" in just six years. China's share is set to reach about half the world's capacity by 2029, based on announced new fabrication plants, and this expansion "is already discouraging investment by market-oriented actors," USTR added. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said an analysis of the US semiconductor supply chain found two-thirds of US products contain Chinese-made foundational chips. "About half of companies didn't know whether they had Chinese chips in their products," she added. In recent years, President Joe Biden has sought to shore up US chipmaking capabilities to reduce reliance on other countries. The latest probe will initially focus on China's foundational semiconductors production, including the extent these are used in other products like medical devices and vehicles. The probe is also expected to consider whether Beijing's policies on inputs for semiconductor fabrication contribute to "burden or restriction on US commerce," the USTR's office said. "This investigation is part of our broader strategy to strengthen the resilience of our supply chains and revitalize domestic manufacturing," said National Economic Advisor Lael Brainard. Officials will have a year to handle the investigation and decide on responses. Disclaimer: This story has been published from a news agency feed with minimal edits to adhere to WION's style guide. The headline may have been changed to better reflect the content of the story or to make it more suitable for WION audience.

<p>China has decided to take the high-bandwidth memory (HBM) challenge head on, as it seeks to dominate the arena of Artificial Intelligence (AI) powered processors by outfoxing peers from South Korea, Japan and the US.</p>

<p>China, hit hard by Western sanctions, is looking to develop its own advanced HBM sector and become self-sufficient in the highly strategic theatre. However, given that Beijing’s programme is severely restricted by Western sanctions; it may take years for China to come up with HMB products meeting international standards.</p>

<p>China’s uphill battle is up against industry champions like K Hynix, Samsung Electronics and Micron Technology. Catching up with these global leaders is surely not going to be a child’s play for the ambitious communist country.</p>

<h2><strong>Major HBM player in China</strong></h2>

<p>While China remains highly ambitious regarding its self-sufficiency in the chip sector, it remains to be seen which tech player will eventually bell the cat.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Although, China-aligned South China Morning Post (SCMP) quoted a source as saying that the country’s top dynamic random access memory (DRAM) maker, ChangXin Memory Technologies (CXMT), is the country’s best hope for HBMs.</p>

<p><strong>Watch:&nbsp;Indian govt: New China's map show Indian state within Chinese border</strong></p>

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<p>CXMT is already planning to undergo a vigorous expansion this year as it plans an initial public offering based on a valuation of US$14.5 billion.</p>

<h2><strong>Korea’s domination in the sector</strong></h2>

<p>South Korea’s SK Hynix is considered the leader in HBM technology with a 50 per cent global market share. In October 2021, the company introduced HBM3, which then began its mass production in June 2022. They highlighted in their promotional materials that HBM technology was essential for achieving Levels 4 and 5 of driving automation in self-driving vehicles.</p>

<p><a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/chinese-map-claiming-regions-beyond-its-border-is-aggression-shows-beijings-character-630176"><strong>Also read:&nbsp;China`s map claiming regions beyond its border, including India, shows Beijing`s `aggressive character`</strong></a></p>

<p>Last week, SK Hynix made an announcement about the successful development of HBM3E. This next-generation high-end DRAM for AI applications is currently undergoing product performance evaluations with samples provided to a customer.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Mass production is planned for the first half of 2024, and notable clients including AMD and Nvidia are said to be interested.</p>

<h2><strong>Why HBM technology is a game-changer?</strong></h2>

<p>HBM technology involves vertically stacked memory chips, similar to floors in a skyscraper, significantly reducing data travel distance.&nbsp;<br />
<br />
These stacked memory units are connected to CPUs or GPUs through an ultra-fast interconnect known as the "interposer."</p>

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China has decided to take the high-bandwidth memory (HBM) challenge head on, as it seeks to dominate the arena of Artificial Intelligence (AI) powered processors by outfoxing peers from South Korea, Japan and the US.

China has decided to take the high-bandwidth memory (HBM) challenge head on, as it seeks to dominate the arena of Artificial Intelligence (AI) powered processors by outfoxing peers from South Korea, Japan and the US. China, hit hard by Western sanctions, is looking to develop its own advanced HBM sector and become self-sufficient in the highly strategic theatre. However, given that Beijing’s programme is severely restricted by Western sanctions; it may take years for China to come up with HMB products meeting international standards. China’s uphill battle is up against industry champions like K Hynix, Samsung Electronics and Micron Technology. Catching up with these global leaders is surely not going to be a child’s play for the ambitious communist country. Major HBM player in China While China remains highly ambitious regarding its self-sufficiency in the chip sector, it remains to be seen which tech player will eventually bell the cat. Although, China-aligned South China Morning Post (SCMP) quoted a source as saying that the country’s top dynamic random access memory (DRAM) maker, ChangXin Memory Technologies (CXMT), is the country’s best hope for HBMs. Watch: Indian govt: New China's map show Indian state within Chinese border × CXMT is already planning to undergo a vigorous expansion this year as it plans an initial public offering based on a valuation of US$14.5 billion. Korea’s domination in the sector South Korea’s SK Hynix is considered the leader in HBM technology with a 50 per cent global market share. In October 2021, the company introduced HBM3, which then began its mass production in June 2022. They highlighted in their promotional materials that HBM technology was essential for achieving Levels 4 and 5 of driving automation in self-driving vehicles. Also read: China`s map claiming regions beyond its border, including India, shows Beijing`s `aggressive character` Last week, SK Hynix made an announcement about the successful development of HBM3E. This next-generation high-end DRAM for AI applications is currently undergoing product performance evaluations with samples provided to a customer. Mass production is planned for the first half of 2024, and notable clients including AMD and Nvidia are said to be interested. Why HBM technology is a game-changer? HBM technology involves vertically stacked memory chips, similar to floors in a skyscraper, significantly reducing data travel distance. These stacked memory units are connected to CPUs or GPUs through an ultra-fast interconnect known as the "interposer." WATCH WION LIVE HERE ×

China plans to develop its own AI memory chips as US sanctions bite hard

China has launched a trade dispute at the World Trade Organization against the United States. The dispute is over its chip export control measures. Watch further to know more.

China challenges U.S. chip curbs at WTO

<p>A woman in China was found hiding 202 computer chips and nine smartphones inside her fake baby bump during routine border check, reflecting the flourishing underground market for chips and cheap processors that has sprung up in China.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>

<p>The woman was crossing into Zhuhai in the southern Guangdong province of China where she was arrested for smuggling semiconductors inside a pregnancy prosthetic. An officer who was part of the team that arrested the woman during routine border check said that he became suspicious of the woman after preliminary questioning.&nbsp;</p>

<p>"She was about five or six months pregnant but had a really big belly that looked like she was in the third trimester," an officer is quoted to have said by Bloomberg.</p>

<p>China reportedly has a massive grey market that involves hundreds of middlemen and remains riddled with second-hand chips.</p>

<p><strong>ALSO READ | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/semiconductor-war-us-announces-rules-that-will-set-back-the-chinese-chip-industry-by-years-523510">US enforces export controls to restrict China's chip supply for hi-tech military applications</a></strong></p>

<p>An underground market for semiconductors has sprung up in China since 2020 when a global shortage of chips started disrupting supplies of everything from smartphones to vehicles. A move by the United States to impose curbs on exports of high-end semiconductors and chip-making equipment to China, partly to stop them from being used for military purposes, has further disturbed the market.&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>WATCH |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/chinas-attempt-to-build-semiconductor-supply-chains-hindered-528878">China's attempt to build semiconductor supply chains hindered</a></strong></p>

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<p>China’s massive grey market predominantly deals with second-hand or out-of-date chips that can fetch prices 500 times the original cost.</p>

<p>Apple's iPhones are typically smuggled into China because they are more expensive there than in Hong Kong and Macau due to import taxes. Smugglers are routinely caught at the border with dozens of devices.</p>

<p>On its own, China produces approximately a quarter of all semiconductors on the planet.</p>

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A woman in China was found hiding 202 computer chips and nine smartphones inside her fake baby bump during routine border check, reflecting the flourishing underground market for chips and cheap processors that has sprung up in China.

A woman in China was found hiding 202 computer chips and nine smartphones inside her fake baby bump during routine border check, reflecting the flourishing underground market for chips and cheap processors that has sprung up in China. The woman was crossing into Zhuhai in the southern Guangdong province of China where she was arrested for smuggling semiconductors inside a pregnancy prosthetic. An officer who was part of the team that arrested the woman during routine border check said that he became suspicious of the woman after preliminary questioning. "She was about five or six months pregnant but had a really big belly that looked like she was in the third trimester," an officer is quoted to have said by Bloomberg. China reportedly has a massive grey market that involves hundreds of middlemen and remains riddled with second-hand chips. ALSO READ | US enforces export controls to restrict China's chip supply for hi-tech military applications An underground market for semiconductors has sprung up in China since 2020 when a global shortage of chips started disrupting supplies of everything from smartphones to vehicles. A move by the United States to impose curbs on exports of high-end semiconductors and chip-making equipment to China, partly to stop them from being used for military purposes, has further disturbed the market. WATCH | China's attempt to build semiconductor supply chains hindered × China’s massive grey market predominantly deals with second-hand or out-of-date chips that can fetch prices 500 times the original cost. Apple's iPhones are typically smuggled into China because they are more expensive there than in Hong Kong and Macau due to import taxes. Smugglers are routinely caught at the border with dozens of devices. On its own, China produces approximately a quarter of all semiconductors on the planet. WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

Chinese woman caught with computer chips inside fake pregnancy bump