China's plans for greater self reliance are facing increased pushback from overseas.
A semiconductor wafer fabrication facility. Semiconductor production is one area where China is expected to fall short of its Made in China 2025 production targets. Credit: Picryl/Library of Congress
Newport Wafer Fab, a microchip plant based in Wales, has a potential buyer that is making the British government nervous — the Chinese-owned semiconductor maker Nexperia. In fact, the possible sale of this small company with just 450 employees is worrisome enough for U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson to have ordered a review on national security grounds.
The U.K.’s concerns are the latest example of the way foreign governments have grown suspicious of Chinese companies shopping for domestic firms, particularly in sensitive sectors like semiconductor production.
"Chinese leaders are clear on the role of semiconductors as part of their quest to dominate the industries of the future,” Tom Tugendhat, chairman of a parliamentary committee that scrutinizes the government’s foreign policy, said in an emailed response to The Wire, adding that the initial decision to “let one of the U.K.’s few semiconductor fabs fall into the hands of a strategic competitor” was “surprisin
Exclusive longform investigative journalism, Q&As, news and analysis, and data on Chinese business elites and corporations. We publish China scoops you won't find anywhere else.
A weekly curated reading list on China from David Barboza, Pulitzer Prize-winning former Shanghai correspondent for The New York Times.
A daily roundup of China finance, business and economics headlines.
We offer discounts for groups, institutions and students. Go to our Subscriptions page for details.
A decade ago, China arrived on the global art scene with deep pockets and an abundance of swagger. Recently, however, China's economic downturn has caused a spate of museums to close and once prominent collectors to sell their collections. Can China ever achieve its dreams of "cultural self-confidence"?
The Harvard professor discusses the effects on Chinese society of the country's high-tech development, and how the pandemic may have shifted public attitudes.
The Global Intelligence Platform used by The Wire China