Alarmed at the policies of the US and West restricting Chinese companies from purchasing microchips, switches and semi-conductors, the Nikkei Asian Review reported (January 25) that “To address this risk, President Xi Jinping aims to increase China's semiconductor self-sufficiency to 40% in 2020 and 70% in 2025 as part of his ‘Made in China 2025’ initiative to modernize domestic industry.”

(Comment: China controls 40% of the world's chip market by value, but its rate of self-sufficiency is seen at just 10% to 20%. Chinese telecom equipment maker ZTE was nearly driven out of business after the U.S. banned transactions with the company, crippling its ability to procure semiconductors.)