Apple said on Monday it will ask the U.S. Supreme Court to hear its challenge to a judge's order in an antitrust case brought by "Fortnite" maker Epic Games that could force the iPhone maker to change payment practices in its App Store.
U.S.-China tensions over semiconductors began with the Trump administration's trade war and have ratcheted up under President Joe Biden's leadership as Washington looks to undercut Beijing's efforts to build its high-tech industry.
Amid intensifying military deployments across East Asia, high-level defence dialogue between China and the United States remains frozen. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken did not secure any progress on the issue during his visit to Beijing last week. U.S. Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin attempted talks with China's Defence Minister Li Shangfu during a defence conference in Singapore this month, but did not get beyond a handshake.
A government-led buyout signals more uncertainty ahead for a chip industry grappling with oversupply and geopolitics. The state-backed Japan Investment Corp will take over JSR , which makes light-sensitive chemicals vital to manufacturing semiconductors, among other things. It will help Tokyo bolster its technology supply chains as the country looks to capitalise on jitters around Taiwan, home to many major chipmakers and suppliers.