China vs. Western Technology companies

Investment Analysis Clubs Macro Economic Trends and Risks
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China is moving on several fronts to attack Western technology companies.

https://www.wsj.com/tech/china-goes-all-in-on-u-s-trade-battle-with-qualcomm-in-the-crosshairs-9b6a2bc7?mod=hp_lead_pos10

China Goes All In on U.S. Trade Battle, With Qualcomm in the Crosshairs

Beijing’s move against the San Diego chip giant is the latest in a two-day barrage of actions targeting the U.S.

By Yoko Kubota, The Wall Street Journal, Oct. 10, 2025

With rare-earths export restrictions and a string of actions targeting the U.S. chip industry, Beijing is mounting a full-scale offensive on Washington ahead of an expected meeting between President Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping….

China’s top market regulator said Friday that it had launched an investigation into Qualcomm for suspected violation of the country’s antimonopoly law. The probe is tied to Qualcomm’s acquisition of Autotalks, an Israeli startup, the regulator said….

In two days, Beijing has unleashed a barrage of actions that threaten to derail a fragile status quo with Washington over trade and other issues, with a particular focus on semiconductors.

On Thursday, China announced new restrictions on rare-earth materials, specifically noting that licenses related to certain types of chips will be granted on a case-by-case basis. Also Thursday, Beijing added roughly a dozen organizations to its “unreliable entity list,” including TechInsights, a Canada-based semiconductor technology research firm…

China went beyond semiconductors. On Thursday, Beijing also said it would require licenses for exports of certain lithium batteries and some equipment and materials used to make them. Then on Friday, Beijing said it plans to impose a special port fee on U.S. vessels docking at Chinese ports, retaliating against the Trump administration’s move to levy fees on Chinese ships….

American chip companies have come under particular scrutiny in Beijing. Last month, China’s antitrust regulator said a preliminary investigation found that Nvidia violated the country’s antimonopoly law in connection with an acquisition completed in 2020…. [end quote]

President Trump is a tough negotiator who told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that he “held no cards.”

It seems that President Xi was watching this closely. He is adding some high-value cards to his hand in preparation for the meeting with President Trump.

Wendy

11 Likes
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I don’t think there are a lot of U.S. Flagged vessels docking anywhere except runs between U.S.Ports.

Unless that rule is written different and the reporter is glossing things over.

Let me Grok it.

Cheers
Qazulight

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I asked Grok

ME

China supposedly imposed a special fee on U.S. Vessels docking at Chinese ports. Either this is toothless because there are very few U.S. Flagged vessels going anywhere outside the USA, or the reporting is missing a lot of nuance. Which is it?

GROK

It’s the latter—reporting misses nuance. China’s fee targets vessels owned or operated by U.S. entities (including those with ≥25% U.S. equity), U.S.-flagged, or U.S.-built, not just U.S.-flagged ones. This broadens its reach beyond the tiny U.S.-flagged fleet (under 200 active international vessels). However, the impact remains limited: the U.S. holds only about 2.6% of the global merchant fleet and 0.1% of shipbuilding, so few vessels are affected compared to China’s dominance. Analysts note it hurts the U.S. less than reciprocal U.S. fees hurt China, potentially raising costs modestly for shippers and consumers without major disruption.

So, even though the tariff net is wider, we are such a bit player it does not do much, except to a few people.

Per GROK those few are not heavily politically connected.

Cheers
Qazulught

6 Likes
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China is doing most of her exporting now to other nations. China no longer needs us. We hold no cards with them.

Up the corporate tax now?

RRE processing on a large scale in 3 months?

Yep and yep. But nope. We will get the tip of the iceberg, RRE processing.