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Chip wars
芯片战
America cannot afford to ignore China’s semiconductor ambitions. It cannot easily tame them, either
美国既无法忽视中国的半导体雄心，也不能将其轻易驯服。
The trade disputes President Donald Trump relishes have an old-fashioned feel. Tariffs are the principal weapons. Old-economy markets, from cars to steel, are the main battlefields. Farmers and factories preoccupy the president. And his personal chemistry with other powerful men can make or break deals. Hence the focus on the meeting between Mr Trump and Xi Jinping at this week’s G20 summit, which takes place in Buenos Aires after The Economist has gone to press.
美国总统唐纳德·特朗普热衷的贸易争端已经是老掉牙了。主要武器是关税。主要战场是从汽车到钢铁在内的旧经济市场。特朗普最关心农民和工厂。特朗普和其他权势之间的私人关系可决定交易的成败。因此，本周在布宜诺斯艾利斯（阿根廷首都）举办的20国峰会期间，特朗普和习近平的会晤成为焦点。（G20峰会将在本期《经济学人》付印后举行）。
Yet the trade conflict that matters most between America and China is a 21st-century fight over technology. It covers everything from artificial intelligence (AI) to network equipment. The fundamental battleground is in semiconductors. The chip industry is where America’s industrial leadership and China’s superpower ambitions clash most directly. And whatever Messrs Trump and Xi say at the G20, this conflict will outlast them both.
然而，中美之间最严重的贸易冲突是21世纪的技术之争。这包括从人工智能（AI）到网络设备在内的方方面面。基本战场是半导体。美国的行业领先和中国超级大国的雄心最直接的冲突就在芯片业。在20国峰会上，无论特朗普和习近平谈了什么，冲突都会比这二人持续得更久。
That is because computer chips are the foundations of the digital economy and national security. Cars have become computers on wheels. Banks are computers that move money. Armies fight with silicon as well as steel. Firms from America and its allies, such as South Korea, dominate the most advanced areas of the industry. China, by contrast, remains reliant on the outside world for supplies of high-end chips. It spends more on semiconductor imports than it does on oil. The list of the top 15 semiconductor firms by sales does not contain a single Chinese name.
这是因为电脑芯片是数字经济和国家安全的根本。汽车变成了有轮子的电脑。银行是运转钱的电脑。军队并肩作战的不仅是钢铁，还有芯片。来自美国及其盟友的公司，如韩国，主导着芯片业最先进的领域。相比之下，中国的高端芯片还依赖其他国家。在芯片进口上的投入比石油进口还多。按销售额排名前15家的半导体公司，中国公司榜上无名。
译文由可可原创，仅供学习交流使用，未经许可请勿转载。
