U.S. threatens global collaboration in semiconductor industry

The China Semiconductor Industry Association said in a statement on Wednesday that "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."

The association said it noticed in media coverage that leaders of major U.S. chip companies are trying to persuade the U.S. government to avoid expansions on trade restrictions and to promote international cooperation. The U.S.-based Semiconductor Industry Association also released the "Statement on Potential Additional Government Restrictions on Semiconductors", which echoed the concerns from the U.S. semiconductor industry leaders over the direction of the trade policy-making of the U.S. government.

"For decades, the semiconductor industry has always been able to continue to innovate and flourish, owing to the collaboration among major countries and regions," CSIA said.

"Benefiting from the regional specialization of capabilities and international cooperation, our industry has become a specimen of globalization. The Chinese mainland provides an enormous market, which accounts for more than 80 percent of the global basis, for its trading partners around the world," CSIA said.

The existence of such a market supports the development of the global supply of electronic and information products over the years, which makes an important contribution to the well-being of people around the world, including to the least developed countries, the association added.

Any damage to the current global supply chain could risk the integrity of the global market and the prosperity of the global economy, CSIA said.

Over the past decades, the U.S. semiconductor industry led the specialization based on regional and geographical specialties, which actively shaped the current global semiconductor industry. These are very important contributions to the industry, it said.

"However, in the past few years, the U.S. government has taken a series of measures restricting trade and disrupting the stability of the semiconductor global supply chain. As a consequence, the interests of global consumers will be harmed, the competitiveness of the U.S. semiconductor industry might be jeopardized and the globalization of the semiconductor industry would be threatened. These generated shared concern around the world, including in the U.S. semiconductor industry," CSIA said.

"China's semiconductor industry is rooted in and developed from globalization. We welcome open cooperation, and will work with all the countries and regions willing to collaborate with our industry to safeguard the globalization of the semiconductor industry, and to assist government and authorities to facilitate international cooperation in the industry."

"At the same time, China's semiconductor industry will also continue to innovate, improve our competitiveness, to develop and progress together with our global partners," CSIA added.