China’s SMIC clears final hurdleSMIC clears final hurdle for $6 billion takeover
Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp (SMIC) has cleared the last regulatory hurdle for its planned $6 billion takeover of SMNC, a move reported in China on May 22.
The deal would expand one of China’s most important chipmakers as Beijing pushes to strengthen domestic semiconductor capacity amid pressure from US export controls.
- China’s chip industry has long been split between market competition and state-directed industrial policy.
- Semiconductor foundries make chips designed by other companies, which makes them critical to global electronics supply chains.
US-China Indo-Pacific Rivalry
China and Taiwan coast guard vessels have repeatedly faced off near the Pratas Islands, with the latest standoff showing how small maritime incidents around Taiwan can quickly become confrontations.[1][5] The episode adds to wider U.S.-China military tension across the Indo-Pacific, where Beijing is expanding patrols and Washington is reinforcing regional deterrence.[2][3] The rivalry now centers on preventing miscalculation around Taiwan, the South China Sea, and nearby sea lanes.[1][3][5] It also shapes defense planning by Taiwan, Japan, the Philippines, and the United States as all sides weigh coercion, sovereignty claims, and the risk of escalation.[2][3]
24 May, 07:39 AM
Taiwan and China coast guards face off near Pratas islands1 January
The United States adopts a sharper great-power competition strategy focused on China
