Despite a pledge made at the Geneva talks to lift export restrictions on rare earth materials, China has yet to follow through. According to The Wall Street Journal, Chinese authorities have recently instructed domestic rare earth companies to submit detailed personnel rosters, including technical qualifications, research experience, and personal data. The move is part of a broader effort to establish a national-level database aimed at preventing technology leaks.
Acer Group founder Stan Shih said Taiwan’s industrial transformation from vertical integration to vertical disintegration has been crucial to its tech rise, noting that US chip giant Intel stood alone in resisting this industry-wide change.
Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) is drafting new cybersecurity guidelines for semiconductor manufacturers and is considering making compliance a condition for receiving government subsidies. The final version of the guidelines is expected to be released in the fall of 2025.