SHANGHAI — The founder of China's largest chipmaker SMIC said on Tuesday he was "optimistic" China could catch up with the United States in the next generation of semiconductors but that U.S. efforts to contain its technology sector could not be taken "lightly". Richard Chang, also the former CEO of Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp (SMIC), told a livestream forum that persistent research and development as well as investment in new raw materials would enable China to compete, according to an official transcript on Wednesday. The comments come as Washington and Beijing continue to spar over Huawei Technologies Co Ltd [HWT.UL], which has brought new urgency to China's calls to improve its domestic chip industry. "I am optimistic and believe we can catch up," Chang said in a rare appearance at the forum, organized by China Securities.

Source: International New York Times August 05, 2020 08:26 UTC