China persists in open global cooperation amid U.S. tightening restriction

China’s semiconductor industry welcomes open cooperation and will work with all countries and regions to safeguard the globalization of the industry, said the China Semiconductor Industry Association (CSIA) in a statement on Wednesday.

The CSIA’s statement on maintaining the global development of the semiconductor industry came after a statement made on Monday by its American counterpart opposing potential additional government restrictions on trade with China’s chip industry.

“Any damage to the current global supply chain, which developed over the past decades alongside the process of globalization, could create inevitable and irreparable harm to the global economy,” said the CSIA.

Such damage could not only “lead to the fragmentation of the semiconductor global supply chain but also risk the integrity of the global market and the prosperity of the global economy,” it said.

The U.S.-based Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) urged the U.S. government to “refrain from further restrictions” on chip sales to China and allow the industry to “have continued access to the China market.”

“Repeated steps, however, to impose overly broad, ambiguous, and at times unilateral restrictions risk diminishing the U.S. semiconductor industry’s competitiveness, disrupting supply chains, causing significant market uncertainty, and prompting continued escalatory retaliation by China,” said the SIA in the statement.

The SIA statement came as the Joe Biden administration is considering updating rules put in place last October, aiming to restrict China’s chip industry by limiting U.S. companies’ cooperation with Chinese chip manufacturers.

Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning said on Tuesday that the country opposes the U.S. politicizing and weaponizing of trade and tech issues.

“It is in no one’s interest to place arbitrary curbs on normal technology cooperation and trade, violate market economy principles, and destabilize global industrial and supply chains,” said Mao.

The CSIA said the collaboration among major countries and regions contributed to an innovative and flourishing semiconductor industry over the past decades.

“We welcome open cooperation and will work with all countries and regions willing to collaborate with our industry to safeguard the globalization of the semiconductor industry and to assist governments and authorities in facilitating international cooperation in the industry,” said the CSIA.

China’s semiconductor industry will also continue to innovate and improve competitiveness, it added. (CGTN)

(With input from Xinhua)