bodyType

customContents

entityId

printArticlePageQuery

filter

article

body

urlAlias

articleSectionsContent

articleSeoArticle

articleSourceHeaderArticle

contentSchemaRenderContent

contentSubHeadlineContent

contentHeadlineContent

mainImagePrintArticleArticle

authorBlockPrintArticleArticle

contentSponsorTagContent

articlePianoPaywallContent

scmpYoutubeContent

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

query printArticlePageQuery(
  $entityId: String!
  $customContents: [CustomContentInput]
  $bodyType: BodyFormatTypeEnum
) {
  article(filter: {entityId: $entityId}) {
    entityId
    body(customContents: $customContents, type: $bodyType) {
      json
    }
    urlAlias
    ...articleSectionsContent
    ...articleSeoArticle_3o8td4
    ...articleSourceHeaderArticle
    ...contentSchemaRenderContent
    ...contentSubHeadlineContent
    ...contentHeadlineContent
    ...mainImagePrintArticleArticle
    ...authorBlockPrintArticleArticle
    ...contentSponsorTagContent
    ...articlePianoPaywallContent
    ...scmpYoutubeContent
    ...hooksTrackPageViewArticle
    id
  }
}

fragment articlePianoPaywallContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  ...hooksPaywallPromiseContent
}

fragment articleSectionsContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  sections {
    value {
      ...helpersCheckIfNewsSectionInFirstIndexSection
      ...entityLink
      name
      id
    }
  }
}

fragment articleSeoArticle_3o8td4 on Article {
  ...hooksArticleSeoArticle
  ...helpersCheckIsPostiesArticle
  ...helpersGetArticleTypeArticle
  entityId
  publishedDate
  updatedDate
  summary {
    text
  }
  subHeadline {
    text
  }
  body(customContents: $customContents, type: $bodyType) {
    text
  }
  keywords
  sections {
    value {
      name
      id
    }
  }
  topics {
    name
    entityId
    id
  }
  urlAlias
  authors {
    name
    id
  }
  images {
    style(filter: {style: "768x768"}) {
      url
    }
  }
  readingTime
}

fragment articleSourceHeaderArticle on Article {
  urlAlias
  ...entityLink
}

fragment authorBlockPrintArticleArticle on Article {
  ...defaultArticleDateContent
  ...authorNamesArticle
}

fragment authorNameAuthor on Author {
  ...entityLink
  name
  entityUuid
}

fragment authorNamesArticle on Article {
  authorLocations
  authors {
    entityId
    location
    ...authorNameAuthor
    id
  }
}

fragment blockquoteQuoteContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  ...contentShareWidgetContent
}

fragment checkersCheckContentContainsStarlingImageContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  topics {
    entityId
    id
  }
}

fragment contentHeadlineContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  headline
  socialHeadline
  ...contentHeadlineTagContent
  ...helpersUseContentSponsorContent
}

fragment contentHeadlineTagContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  ...hooksContentHeadlineTagContent
}

fragment contentNewsletterWidgetContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  topics {
    relatedNewsletters {
      ...helpersMassageToNewsletterItemNewsletter
      id
    }
    id
  }
  sections {
    value {
      relatedNewsletters {
        ...helpersMassageToNewsletterItemNewsletter
        id
      }
      id
    }
  }
  ... on Article {
    relatedNewsletters {
      ...helpersMassageToNewsletterItemNewsletter
      id
    }
  }
}

fragment contentSchemaRenderContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  ...blockquoteQuoteContent
  ...imageContent
  ...inlineWidgetContent
  ...photoGalleryWidgetContent
  ...scmpYoutubeContent
}

fragment contentShareWidgetContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  entityId
  urlAlias
  shortUrl
  socialHeadline
  headline
}

fragment contentSponsorTagContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  ...helpersUseContentSponsorContent
}

fragment contentSubHeadlineContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  subHeadline {
    json
  }
  summary {
    json
  }
  ...contentSchemaRenderContent
}

fragment defaultArticleDateContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  ...hooksArticleDateUtilsContent
}

fragment entityLink on BaseWithApplicationAndUrlAlias {
  __isBaseWithApplicationAndUrlAlias: __typename
  __typename
  entityId
  entityUuid
  urlAlias
  urlRedirect {
    toUrl
    id
  }
  application {
    entityId
    id
  }
  ... on Section {
    fullSectionPath {
      entityId
      id
    }
    parentSection
  }
  ...helpersAppBarVariantBase
  ...helpersApplicationBase
  ...helpersCheckIsPlusArticle
  ...helpersStyleSectionContent
}

fragment helpersAppBarVariantBase on BaseWithApplicationAndUrlAlias {
  __isBaseWithApplicationAndUrlAlias: __typename
  ...helpersCheckIsLiveArticle
  ...helpersCheckIsPlusPage
  ...helpersCheckIsPostiesArticle
  ...helpersCheckIsPostiesPage
  ...helpersCheckIsPostMagazineArticle
  ...helpersCheckIsStyleArticle
  ...helpersSectionContent
  ...helpersStyleSectionContent
}

fragment helpersApplicationBase on BaseWithApplicationAndUrlAlias {
  __isBaseWithApplicationAndUrlAlias: __typename
  ...helpersCheckIsPostiesArticle
  ...helpersCheckIsPostiesPage
  ...helpersCheckIsPlusPage
}

fragment helpersCheckIfNewsSectionInFirstIndexSection on Section {
  name
}

fragment helpersCheckIsAmpEnabledArticle on Article {
  entityId
  types {
    value {
      entityId
      id
    }
  }
  sections {
    value {
      entityId
      id
    }
  }
  disableOffPlatformContent
  sponsorType
  published
  ...helpersCheckIsPlusArticle
  ...helpersCheckIsPostiesArticle
}

fragment helpersCheckIsLiveArticle on Article {
  flattenTypeIds
  liveArticle {
    status
    id
  }
}

fragment helpersCheckIsMainTopicContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  topics {
    entityId
    id
  }
}

fragment helpersCheckIsPlusArticle on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  ... on Article {
    paywallTypes {
      entityUuid
      id
    }
  }
}

fragment helpersCheckIsPlusPage on Page {
  urlAlias
}

fragment helpersCheckIsPostMagazineArticle on Article {
  sections {
    value {
      entityId
      id
    }
  }
}

fragment helpersCheckIsPostiesArticle on Article {
  sections {
    value {
      entityId
      id
    }
  }
}

fragment helpersCheckIsPostiesPage on Page {
  urlAlias
}

fragment helpersCheckIsStyleArticle on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  sections {
    value {
      entityId
      id
    }
  }
}

fragment helpersGetArticleTypeArticle on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  ... on Article {
    types {
      value {
        entityId
        id
      }
    }
  }
}

fragment helpersMassageToNewsletterItemNewsletter on Newsletter {
  entityId
  name
  alternativeName
  description {
    text
  }
  summary {
    text
  }
  homepageDescription {
    text
  }
}

fragment helpersSanitizeArticleTypeEntityIdsArticle on Article {
  types {
    value {
      entityId
      id
    }
  }
}

fragment helpersSanitizeAuthorTypesArticle on Article {
  authors {
    types
    id
  }
}

fragment helpersSanitizedAuthorEntityIdsArticle on Article {
  authors {
    entityId
    id
  }
}

fragment helpersSectionContent on Section {
  fullSectionPath {
    entityId
    id
  }
}

fragment helpersStyleSectionContent on Section {
  fullSectionPath {
    entityId
    id
  }
}

fragment helpersUseContentSponsorContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  topics {
    entityId
    sponsor {
      ...sponsorTagSponsor
      name
      type
      id
    }
    id
  }
  ... on Article {
    sponsorType
  }
  ...helpersCheckIsMainTopicContent
}

fragment hooksArticleDateUtilsContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  createdDate
  publishedDate
  updatedDate
}

fragment hooksArticleSeoArticle on Article {
  ...helpersCheckIsPostiesArticle
  ...helpersCheckIsPostMagazineArticle
  ...helpersCheckIsStyleArticle
  ...hooksContentHeadlineTagContent
  ...helpersCheckIsAmpEnabledArticle
  entityId
  headline
  socialHeadline
  types {
    value {
      entityId
      id
    }
  }
  authors {
    entityId
    id
  }
  images {
    generic_og: style(filter: {style: "og_image_scmp_generic"}) {
      url
    }
    styles(filter: {styles: ["og_image_posties_article", "og_postmag", "og_image_style", "og_image_scmp_analysis", "og_image_scmp_explainer", "og_image_scmp_editorial", "og_image_scmp_fact_check", "og_image_scmp_debate", "og_image_scmp_live", "og_image_scmp_obituary", "og_image_scmp_opinion", "og_image_scmp_review", "og_image_scmp_series", "og_image_scmp_generic"]}) {
      url
      style
    }
    type
  }
  urlAlias
}

fragment hooksContentHeadlineTagContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  __typename
  ... on Article {
    types {
      value {
        name
        entityId
        description {
          text
        }
        id
      }
    }
    ...helpersCheckIsStyleArticle
  }
  flag
  sections {
    value {
      name
      id
    }
  }
  ...hooksContentHelperContent
}

fragment hooksContentHelperContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  ...helpersSanitizeArticleTypeEntityIdsArticle
  ...helpersSanitizeAuthorTypesArticle
  ...helpersSanitizedAuthorEntityIdsArticle
  flag
}

fragment hooksPaywallPromiseContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  entityId
  ...helpersCheckIsPostiesArticle
}

fragment hooksTrackPageViewArticle on Article {
  entityId
  publishedDate
  headline
  sections {
    value {
      name
      id
    }
  }
  urlAlias
  authors {
    name
    id
  }
  entityUuid
}

fragment imageContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  headline
  ...checkersCheckContentContainsStarlingImageContent
}

fragment inlineWidgetContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  ...contentNewsletterWidgetContent
}

fragment mainImagePrintArticleArticle on Article {
  images {
    title
    url
    isSlideshow
    size_652x446: style(filter: {style: "652x446"}) {
      url
    }
  }
}

fragment photoGalleryDialogContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  __typename
  ...contentShareWidgetContent
}

fragment photoGalleryWidgetContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  ...photoGalleryDialogContent
}

fragment scmpYoutubeContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  entityId
  urlAlias
  publishedDate
}

fragment sponsorTagSponsor on Sponsor {
  name
  type
  images {
    url
  }
}


sections

types

disableOffPlatformContent

sponsorType

published

headline

socialHeadline

authors

images

publishedDate

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

keywords

topics

readingTime

authorLocations

entityUuid

Celia Chen

Yujie Xue

Sidney Leng

The US-China confrontation over semiconductors is expected to continue under a Biden presidency but is likely to take a different approach, with the new administration enlisting allies in its attempts to blunt Beijing’s goal of self-reliance in chips, according to analysts.
In a commentary published by the World Journal in October, Biden wrote that if elected, he would “focus on boosting American competitiveness”, adding that there would be collaboration with China “when it’s in our interest”.
“Biden has been firm on China, and more importantly, has bigger priorities right now like the pandemic,” said Bryan Ma, client devices vice president with research firm IDC. “Even if there are any changes to tech policies, it probably won’t happen right away.”
Experts agree that China will find the road to chip self-reliance challenging, not only because of worsening diplomatic relations, but also because the country faces a shortage of core tech skills despite the billions of dollars it has invested in semiconductor talent and new facilities.
Why semiconductors are important in the US-China tech war
“The chip industry is a market-oriented and talent-intensive industry that requires technology accumulation. The large amount of capital investment is not equal to competitive products,” said Roger Sheng, a semiconductor analyst at Research firm Gartner. “I think Biden will continue the cards that Trump played against China and work with allies to drive [Beijing] into making more concessions.”
Will Hunt, a research analyst at the Centre for Security and Emerging Technology, a think tank at Georgetown University, said the Biden approach would likely be more targeted.
“I hope to see collaboration with Japan and the Netherlands on targeting [China] for linchpin technology like semiconductor manufacturing equipment rather than the much broader controls that we saw over the past few years,” Hunt said.
“In the long term, we will see continuity of Trump’s efforts to reshore semiconductor manufacturing to the US, and hopefully intensify it. Biden could also strengthen that effort with looser immigration restrictions, more investment in the domestic workforce and research and development [funding].”
Chinese start-up in critical chip design software secures US$30 million
Semiconductors, also known as chips or integrated circuits (ICs), are the foundation of new technologies from artificial intelligence and 5G to smartphones and autonomous driving. The industry has also found itself at the centre of escalating trade friction between the world’s two largest economies.
The US has been cutting China’s access to US-origin technology in the field of semiconductors. In May, Washington expanded its sanctions against Huawei Technologies by requiring foreign chip makers that use US technology to apply for a license to sell chips to the Chinese telecoms champion.
In early December, the US added China’s top chip maker, Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp (SMIC), to a blacklist of alleged Chinese companies with military connections, a move likely to escalate tensions with Beijing before President-elect Joe Biden takes office.
US export controls imposed on Chinese tech firms are not expected to be significantly relaxed under Biden, said Nick Marro, lead analyst of global trade at the Economist Intelligence Unit. China’s tech sector is likely to be kept “in the crosshairs of US policymakers,” he added.
Taiwan draws up plan to woo US$1.3 billion of annual tech research
In response to the US sanctions, China has stepped up efforts to cultivate home-grown talent and introduced policies designed to accelerate the self-reliance process.
In August, the State Council granted qualified integrated circuit projects and enterprises a variety of tax benefits lasting for up to 10 years. The new policies also focus on developing domestic chip engineering talent, strengthening intellectual property protection, and encouraging firms to list on China’s technology-focused STAR Market.
However, “there’s a bigger risk that this policy push could worsen overcapacity and strain fiscal space at the local level, particularly in low- and medium-end manufacturing segments,” warned Marro.

That is already happening. The new government policies and subsidies have encouraged many companies – some with little or no experience in chip making – to jump on the bandwagon. According to Chinese company information provider Qichacha, of the more than 50,000 chip companies registered in China as of October, around 12,740 were formed this year.
Amid the frenzy, some poorly planned projects have already shown signs of failure. In May, a US$100 million factory set up by US chip giant GlobalFoundries and the Chengdu city government ceased operation after remaining idle for almost two years. Two months later, a US$2.8 billion government-backed chip plant owned by Tacoma Nanjing Semiconductor Technology went bankrupt after failing to attract new investors.
Then last month, domestic chip company Wuhan Hongxin Semiconductor Manufacturing (HSMC) was taken over by the Hubei provincial government after months of delays caused by funding shortages. The project was meant to be a showpiece in a US$20 billion investment designed to turn the city into a semiconductor manufacturing hub.
Qualcomm receives go-ahead to sell 4G chips to Huawei in exception to ban
Some analysts lay the blame for the failed projects on the central government’s top-down approach which reduces transparency and prioritises political motives over sound economic decisions.
“There’s still a fundamental lack of transparency and investment consideration that comes as a result of a top-down policy push,” said Marro. “This has worsened in recent years as private and foreign investors have been squeezed by the expansion of the state sector. This will always be the risk of attaching market development goals to political priorities; authorities are incentivised to prop up potentially weak projects, while companies have incentives to overplay their ability to get more money.”
Local governments also need to share the blame. “Some local governments often cannot clearly recognise the difficulty of developing the semiconductor industry and blindly trust some people with ulterior motives … too much money rushing into the chip industry may attract people [wanting] to cheat the local chip projects,” said Gartner analyst Sheng.
In the wake of the recent setbacks in the chip sector, Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) vice minister Wang Zhijun last month called for close supervision of “short-sighted” investments and “abandoned projects”.

To be sure, semiconductor self-sufficiency was a priority for Beijing long before the US-China tech war brought the issue into sharp focus. China’s ambitions were clear as early as 2014 when the central government announced a National Integrated Circuit Plan, promising to invest US$150 billion in the domestic semiconductor manufacturing sector.
However, there is still a long way to go and achieving complete independence in chips may even be impossible, say analysts.
“Full chip self-reliance is hard to come by as no single country or region is capable of delivering everything required in the chip supply chain,” said Szeho Ng, managing director at China Renaissance in Hong Kong. “The chip ecosystem is genuinely global in nature and its development [has been] through global collaboration.”
While China has made progress in mainstream chip manufacturing such as wafer foundries and the back-end assembly-and-testing process, it remains behind in areas upstream such as electronic design automation (EDA) and synergistic processing element (SPE) tools, according to Ng.
US poised to add China’s top chip maker and oil giant to blacklist: report
US-based companies like Synopsys, Cadence and Mentor Graphics account for more than 95 per cent of the EDA tools market, according to a note from Taiwan-based semiconductor industry research firm Isaiah Research.
On top of the large gaps in China’s semiconductor knowledge, Beijing has testy relations with chip leaders whose cooperation it would need to get up to speed in the technology.
“Beyond US-China tensions, it also has poor relations with Taiwan, and relatively strained relations with Japan and South Korea. Relations with the EU are now also under scrutiny,” said Marro at the Economist Intelligence Unit.
Taiwan companies like wafer foundry TSMC and fabless IC company MediaTek are powerhouses in their field.
‘Nightmare’ China semiconductor factory taken over by local authority
“Diplomatic friction will inherently have a spillover to trade and commercial policy, particularly if governments worry about the industrial or security implications of losing top talent, or valuable IP, to the Chinese market, which could result in investment or trade controls,” Marro said. “That’s something we’re already seeing with the US and Taiwan, and is something that we could see elsewhere, including Japan and South Korea, in the future.”
Yet some believe Sino-US tech cooperation under Biden could still happen at some point.
“At the same time that the United States stays resolute toward China, it will strive for more cooperation under Biden in comparison with Trump,” said Huang Kwei-bo, vice dean of the international affairs college at National Chengchi University in Taipei.
Additional reporting by Ralph Jennings in Taipei


China’s chip dreams face reality check with Biden’s united front approach and realisation that money can’t buy success

The Biden approach to China is likely to be more targeted, say analysts. Photo: AP

epa08652227 People walk in front of the gate of SMIC factory in Shanghai, China, 07 September 2020. SMIC (Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation), Chinese chip maker corporation, became the target of export restrictions by USA according to US Defence Department officials. EPA-EFE/ALEX PLAVEVSKI

(FILES) This file photo taken on January 28, 2020 shows the logo of Chinese company Huawei at their main UK offices in Reading, west of London. - Barcelona's World Cup-winning footballer Antoine Griezmann said on December 10, 2020 he was ending his sponsorship contract with Huawei over reports the Chinese telecoms giant was involved in the surveillance of Uighur Muslims. Frenchman Griezmann said on Instagram: "Following strong suspicions that Huawei has contributed to the development of a 'Uighurs alert' through the use of facial recognition software, I am immediately ending my partnership with the company." (Photo by DANIEL LEAL-OLIVAS / AFP)

No single country or region is capable of delivering everything required in the chip supply chain. Photo: Handout

Tech

Policy


US export controls imposed on Chinese tech firms are not expected to be significantly relaxed under Biden
China’s ambitions were clear as early as 2014 with the National Integrated Circuit Plan, promising US$150 billion for the domestic chip sector



Worsening diplomatic relations with key tech partners and a shortage of core skills despite billions of dollars invested mean China’s goal of achieving self-reliance in chips will be challenging


Semiconductors

US-China tech war

China’s chip dreams face reality check with Biden’s united front approach and realisation that money can’t buy success

US export controls imposed on Chinese tech firms are not expected to be significantly relaxed under Biden China’s ambitions were clear as early as 2014 with the National Integrated Circuit Plan, promising US$150 billion for the domestic chip sector

US export controls imposed on Chinese tech firms are not expected to be significantly relaxed under Biden

China’s ambitions were clear as early as 2014 with the National Integrated Circuit Plan, promising US$150 billion for the domestic chip sector