Chinese state media pushes back on chip nationalism after social media vilifies TSMC’s Nanjing expansion
- Nationalistic calls to stop TSMC’s expansion in Nanjing have been brewing after the foundry giant said it would invest US$2.87 billion to boost output there
- Xinhua warned that overhyping China’s progress in chip making could lead to ‘misguided confidence’ that hides the real challenges the country faces
In a sign that Beijing is trying to temper nationalist sentiment, state-owned Xinhua News Agency has published an op-ed pushing back against the rising tide of discontent on the country’s social media against plans by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) to invest almost US$3 billion to expand production at its Nanjing fab.
Xinhua’s op-ed, titled “There is no quick pill to save chips” and played up by other state media outlets including the Communist Party’s mouthpiece People’s Daily, warned against chip nationalism and called for patience in developing China’s self-sufficiency in semiconductor manufacturing.
The op-ed also emphasised that making chips is not only very difficult, but represents the pinnacle of global cooperation.
“Semiconductors represent the most sophisticated technology currently manufactured by mankind,” the authors wrote. “It is highly dependent on globalisation and the intelligent collaboration of all mankind.”
Nationalistic calls to stop TSMC’s expansion in Nanjing have been brewing in recent weeks after the foundry giant announced it would spend US$2.87 billion to expand production at the Nanjing fab, aiming to double monthly capacity to 40,000 wafers.