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Just hours earlier President Donald Trump said that the United States would enforce a caller tariff of 100% connected imports from China “over and supra immoderate Tariff that they are presently paying,” starting connected November 1, China had opened an probe into Qualcomm, 1 of America's astir important semiconductor companies.
China’s State Administration for Market Regulation announced Friday, October 10, an antitrust probe into Qualcomm regarding its acquisition of Israeli spot decorator Autotalks. The probe volition analyse whether Qualcomm violated China’s antitrust laws by failing to decently state details of the deal, finalized successful June 2025. The probe is portion of a broader escalation of tensions betwixt Beijing and Washington, with US spot companies facing heightened scrutiny successful China.
The determination against Qualcomm comes amid a flurry of Chinese actions targeting US interests, including caller export restrictions connected rare-earth materials and lithium batteries. On October 10, China besides said that it plans to enforce a peculiar larboard interest connected U.S. vessels docking astatine Chinese ports, retaliating against the Trump administration’s determination to levy fees connected Chinese ships.Just a time earlier, October 9, Beijing besides added Canada-based semiconductor probe steadfast TechInsights to its “unreliable entity list” for its reports connected Huawei’s spot development.
Last month, China’s antitrust regulator accused Nvidia of breaching anti-monopoly laws related to a 2020 acquisition.
Trump announces other 100% tariff connected China imports
Trump connected Friday said that the United States would enforce caller tariffs of 100% connected imports from China. He said that the US, connected that aforesaid date, would besides enforce export controls connected “any and each captious software.” The president’s announcement came hours aft helium threatened to slap “a monolithic increase” of tariffs connected Chinese imports successful retaliation for caller controls that China imposed connected exports of uncommon earths minerals from that nation.Trump besides hinted that helium would cancel a gathering with Chinese President Xi Jinping astatine the upcoming Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation acme successful South Korea due to the fact that of China’s caller controls.
Qualcomm's acquisition of Israel-based Autotalk
Qualcomm’s acquisition of Autotalks, a shaper of vehicle-to-everything (V2X) connection chips designed to forestall car crashes, integrated precocious exertion into Qualcomm’s Snapdragon car stack. This aligns with China’s propulsion to standardize V2X connection crossed aviator regions by 2026.
However, according to a study successful Reuters, Stephen Wu, laminitis of Carthage Capital, suggested that China’s probe could awesome broader unit connected U.S.
spot and automotive proviso chains. “China could person imposed a insignificant punishment for procedural issues, but a higher authorisation whitethorn bespeak a strategical move,” Wu said.Qualcomm, based successful San Diego, faced akin scrutiny successful 2015, paying a $975 cardinal good to settee a Chinese antitrust case.
The institution had concisely abandoned the Autotalks woody successful 2024 owed to regulatory delays but completed it earlier this year. Neither Qualcomm nor Autotalks responded to requests for remark connected the investigation.The probe coincides with heightened U.S.-China tensions up of an anticipated gathering betwixt President Donald Trump and Chinese person Xi Jinping. Beijing’s caller actions, including export controls and sanctions, endanger to disrupt the fragile commercialized equilibrium betwixt the 2 nations, with semiconductors astatine the forefront of the dispute.
