U.S.-China Tech Rivalry: The Geopolitics of Semiconductors

of third-generation semiconductors.[21] It brings together leading universities, public institutes, government agencies and industry stakeholders from Asia and Europe. RISC-V China Summit is a major annual event dedicated to the RISC-V open-source processor ecosystem. RISC-V technology provides the foundational design known as the instruction set architecture (ISA), which creates processors integrated into semiconductor chips. The summit held in China is recognized as one of the world’s top three RISC-V professional conventions.[22] The summit emphasizes international cooperation by bringing together global companies, research institutions and open-source communities to contribute to and accelerate chip design and semiconductor technology innovation.

Global Adoption of China’s Technological Standards
Technical standards act as tools of global influence, as setting the rules for technology can boost a nation’s tech leadership and strengthen its reputation worldwide. They can also be lucrative, since companies can earn from licensing their patented technologies when their standards are widely adopted. Early on, the PRC recognized the importance of setting technological standards and actively began working in this direction. China’s most prominent initiative in this regard is its China Standards 2035 project, which was launched in 2020 as a continuation of the Made in China 2025 industrial policy. The program sets out to frame the rules for future industries, including AI, 5G and the Internet of Things (IoT), to strengthen China’s industrial base and boost its technological competitiveness. Complementing this effort, the National Standardization Development Outline, referred to as the Outline, issued in 2021, provides a comprehensive blueprint for advancing China’s standardization agenda across multiple domains, including technology, environmental sustainability and social governance.[23]

To translate its ambitions into reality, China actively encourages participation in key organizations involved in setting standards for digital technologies, such as the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) and International Telecommunications Union (ITU). To encourage this, the government offers subsidies and financial incentives, while also granting rewards to experts and organizations whose contributions receive global recognition. At the same time, China is steadily expanding its presence in leadership roles across important technical committees and working groups within these organizations.[24]

Implications of US–China Rivalry
China’s export bans on critical minerals have sent shockwaves through the global tech industry. Countries like Japan, South Korea and Taiwan are among the nations most affected by the trade war.[25] TSMC has long been a critical player in global chip production.  But today, it faces the difficult task of balancing the competing