US may curb Chinese access to semiconductor industry

The Obama administration is finalizing a study that could lead to restrictions on Chinese investment in the US semiconductor sector, The Wall Street Journal reports.  Among its recommendations could be a tougher stance by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the US, or CFIUS. The report will give guidance to CFIUS on China’s strategic efforts to dominate the semiconductor market and could lead to new export controls and restrictions on joint-ventures with Chinese firms, according to industry officials. The Obama administration’s dialing up of its scrutiny of Chinese investment in the US is a rare alignment of policy with the incoming Trump team. “A loss of leadership in semiconductor innovation and manufacturing could have significant adverse impacts on the U.S. economy and even on national security,” John Holdren, the president’s chief science adviser, said in October.