Tech war: Chinese ambassador in Seoul once asked South Korean lawmaker to include Beijing in US-led chip alliance
- Beijing has never officially floated the idea of a ‘Chip 5’, but it has repeatedly expressed anger at Washington for trying to sideline China in the global supply chain
- Chinese ambassador Xing Haiming visited lawmaker Yang Hyang-ja, a former Samsung executive, in July 2022, the Chinese embassy said at the time
Yang Hyang-ja, a South Korean congresswoman, said on Thursday that Chinese ambassador Xing Haiming “visited my office and proposed a ‘Chip 5’ alliance, which [would] include China, instead of the Chip 4”.
She made the comment via a translator during the third episode of a webinar series organised by advisory firm Mavek and German enterprise software company SAP, on Global Semiconductor Chip Wars and Implications. It was the first time Yang has disclosed specifics of her meeting with Xing.
The Chinese government has never officially floated the idea of a “Chip 5”, but it has repeatedly expressed anger at Washington for trying to sideline China in the global semiconductor supply chain.
US efforts to rally allies such as South Korea to help it contain China’s chip industry advancement prompted Beijing to launch its own counter offensive. However, China’s efforts did not bear fruit, as Japan and the Netherlands also followed the US in restricting exports to China.
“From the US perspective, China is viewed as a significant threat, which has led to the sanctions,” Yang said on the webinar. “If China, like South Korea, does not challenge US dominance, the US would not have imposed sanctions on China.”