In March, Premier Li Keqiang named semiconductors as the top priority of the 10 industries China wants to foster in its “Made in China 2025” initiative. But China’s ambitions were already clear in 2014 when it launched the National Integrated Circuit Industry Investment Fund — better known as the Big Fund — in 2014 with 138 billion yuan ($21.9 billion) in seed capital, which it hoped would turbocharge investment from local governments and the private sector. Source Asian Review
Russia’s largest aluminum producer Rusal (0486.HK) said on Monday it has not received a formal resignation from director Oleg Deripaska, and reiterated that its business and prospects may be affected by U.S. sanctions. Source: Reuters
China says it has landed long-range bombers for the first time on an island in the South China Sea, the latest in a series of maneuvers putting Beijing at odds with its neighbors and Washington over China’s growing military presence around disputed islands. Source: CNN
The US treasury secretary announced that a looming trade war has been put “on hold.” But European officials are worried that a new trade deal between the US and China could come “at the expense of Europe.” Source: Deutsche Welle
