U.S. 'coercive diplomacy' in chip industry will end in failure, says Chinese spokesperson

The United States' move to politicize sci-tech and trade issues and undermine international trade rules and global market will eventually end in failure, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said on Tuesday.

The media in the Republic of Korea (ROK) cited unnamed sources in Washington as reporting that the U.S. government had asked the ROK to inform it by the end of August whether or not the country would participate in the U.S.-led chip alliance "Chip 4" to cope with semiconductor supply chain issues.

In response, Zhao told a daily news briefing that a high degree of globalization and industry collaboration among various countries have promoted the sustained and rapid progress of chip technology. The formation and development of the global chip industrial chain and supply chain are the results of both market rules and enterprise choices.

However, the United States has repeatedly abused its state power, politicized sci-tech and trade issues, engaged in "coercive diplomacy," and attempted to promote an industrial decoupling, which have undermined international trade rules and divided the global market, Zhao said.

"At a time when the global economy is deeply integrated, such a move by the U.S. goes against the current. It is unpopular and will eventually end in failure," he said.

"We hope relevant parties will uphold objective and fair positions, bear in mind their own long-term interests and the principle of a fair and just market, and do more to ensure the stability of the global chip industrial chain and supply chain," Zhao said.