The U.S. government has expanded exports and restricted U.S. citizens from working in Chinese semiconductor companies. The Wall Street Journal’s investigation found that at least 43 people work at 16 Chinese listed semiconductor companies, many of whom are CEOs, vice presidents, and chairmen, and now these people are facing choices.
The Wall Street Journal reported that almost all of the above-mentioned 43 Americans had worked for many years in the US Silicon Valley chip manufacturers or semiconductor equipment companies before moving to the Chinese chip industry. Their work experience reflects the free flow of talent across companies and borders over the years, some of whom were attracted by China’s “Thousand Talents Program”.
Dane Chamorro, head of the global risk and information department at business consulting firm Control Risks, said that restricting Chinese companies’ access to American talent is a direct attack on China’s attempts to move up the technology supply chain.
For many senior executives at Chinese companies, the new rules from Washington might force them to choose between jobs and U.S. citizenship or permanent resident status. Chamorro said Washington requires U.S. personnel who want to continue working on advanced Chinese chip research and development to apply.
One of the leading figures is Yin Zhiyao, the founder and chairman of China Microelectronics, a heavyweight chip-making equipment maker in China. The company’s official website and latest annual report show that he and six current senior managers and core R&D personnel are all U.S. citizens.
Beijing Zhaoyi Innovation (603986-CN), a company that designs flash chips for automotive and computer applications. The latest annual report of Zhaoyi Innovation shows that deputy director Shu Qingming and director Cheng Taiyi hold American passports.
Shenyang Xinyuan Microelectronics specializes in the research and development, production, sales and service of semiconductor production equipment. Its customers include TSMC (2330-TW) and other giants, its latest annual report shows that executive director Chen Xinglong holds a US green card.