News: 0175742195

  ARM Give a man a fire and he's warm for a day, but set fire to him and he's warm for the rest of his life (Terry Pratchett, Jingo)

US Targets China With Probe Into Semiconductor Industry (thehill.com)

(Monday December 23, 2024 @05:40PM (BeauHD) from the escalating-tech-pressure dept.)


The Biden administration has [1]launched a Section 301 investigation into China's semiconductor industry , citing concerns over non-market practices, supply chain dependencies, and national security risks. The Hill reports:

> In a [2]fact sheet , the White House said China "routinely engages in non-market policies and practices, as well as industrial targeting, of the semiconductor industry" that harms competition and creates "dangerous supply chain dependencies."

>

> The Biden administration said the Office of the United States Trade Representative would launch a Section 301 investigation to examine China's targeting of semiconductor chips for dominance, an effort to see whether the practices are unfairly hurting U.S. trade and take potential action. The investigation will broadly probe Chinese nonmarket practices and policies related to semiconductors and look at how the products are incorporated into industries for defense, auto, aerospace, medical, telecommunications and power. It will also examine production of silicon carbide substrates or other wafers used as inputs for semiconductors.

The probe launches four weeks before President-elect Donald Trump takes office. "The effort could offer Trump a ready avenue to begin imposing some of the hefty 60% tariffs he has threatened on Chinese imports," notes [3]Reuters .

"Departing President Joe Biden has already imposed a 50% U.S. tariff on Chinese semiconductors that starts on Jan. 1. His administration also has tightened export curbs on advanced artificial intelligence and memory chips and chipmaking equipment."



[1] https://thehill.com/policy/defense/5053609-biden-administration-china-semiconductor-industry-probe/

[2] https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2024/12/23/fact-sheet-president-biden-takes-action-to-protect-american-workers-and-businesses-from-chinas-unfair-trade-practices-in-the-semiconductor-sector/

[3] https://www.reuters.com/technology/biden-launches-new-us-trade-probe-into-legacy-chinese-chips-2024-12-23/



The War Against Linux

A significant obstacle on the path to Linux World Domination has emerged. A
reactionary grass-roots movement has formed to fight, as they call it, "The
War Against Linux". This movement, code-named "LinSux", is composed of
people (mostly Microsoft stockholders and commercial software developers)
who want to maintain the status quo. They are fighting back against the
rise of Linux and free software which they see as a threat to their financial
independence.

The most damaging attack the LinSux folks have launched is "Three Mile
Island", a Windows macro virus designed to inflict damage on computers that
contain a partition devoted to a non-Microsoft OS. When the victim computer
is booted into Windows, the virus activates and deletes any non-Microsoft
partitions. Ironically, the many security flaws in Windows allow the virus
to damage alternative operating systems but leave Windows unscathed.

"The War Against Linux" has also been fought in more subtle ways.
Time-tested methods of Linux advocacy have been turned into subtle forms of
anti-Linux advocacy by the LinSux crowd. MSCEs are smuggling NT boxes into
companies that predominantly use Linux or Unix. LinSux "freedom fighters"
are rearranging books and software boxes on store shelves so that Microsoft
offerings are displayed more prominently.