Self-reliance has been an aspirational long-term goal for China due to the country's easy access to foreign technology and knowledge, but its national semiconductor development over the last decade...Show moreSelf-reliance has been an aspirational long-term goal for China due to the country's easy access to foreign technology and knowledge, but its national semiconductor development over the last decade has been directly challenged by a U.S.-led multilateral export control regime. Consequently, the situation calls for an examination of China's path choices concerning these tensions in the semiconductor industry. So far, contributions by International Relations (IR) theories lack consideration of China's fluctuating strategic priorities in response to global shifts. This thesis therefore uses the analytical concepts of historical institutionalism to explore China’s economic policy development in the semiconductor industry from 2014 to 2024 and structures the research around the critical juncture of the U.S.-led sanction regime towards China that commenced on October 7, 2022. To provide a foundation of knowledge on China’s current economic strategies in the microchip tech war, a scoping review was conducted to systematically map recent studies (March 2023–March 2024) and trace the dynamic process of China’s strategic path choices, which may aid EU Member States and policy practitioners in framing China in their international agenda on semiconductors. The findings suggest that China 1) has demonstrated a deliberate commitment to caution in its foreign policy to maximize strategic advantages over technology, 2) aims to deter future U.S. action by reinforcing its techno-economic statecraft and domestic economic competitiveness, and 3) has increased efforts to enhance worldwide reliance on China through its comparative advantages and technological standards for critical technologies, including AI and 5G.Show less
