Xi declares ‘battle over semiconductor’ against Biden

Chinese President Xi Jinping pledged on Sunday that (China) will resolutely win the key core technologies, which many experts analyzed as a declaration of a battle against U.S. President Joe Biden’s recent action to block chip exports to China. Experts point out that Xi’s comment is a forewarning for increasingly intense competition between the U.S. and China to secure dominance over advanced science technologies during Xi’s third term.

At the opening of the Chinese Communist Party’s twice-a-decade congress in Beijing, President Xi emphasized that China needs to speed up technology self-reliance and channel its power into finding a breakthrough in original technologies with demands generated from state-led initiatives. China Daily, a state-run media of China, reported on Sunday that President Xi will speed up to win the battle in key industry competitions by developing advanced science and technology and that he will make China’s influence stronger across the world’s industries.” Bloomberg said such comments illustrate China’s plans to deal with the U.S. by placing new restrictions on tech exports and deterring military actions in Taiwan.

Before the opening of the communist party congress, President Biden stated on Wednesday (local time) that the U.S. will get an upper hand in the competition with China, the only global competitor it considers, for the next decade. According to Wall Street Journal, a swathe of U.S. semiconductor staff have been leaving China following the U.S.’s strong policy blocking chip exports.


Ki-Yong Kim kky@donga.com