South China Morning Post: That ban has not only become the latest flashpoint between the world’s two largest economies, it also exposed the soft underbelly of China’s hi-tech ambitions: a dependence on advanced US technology, especially semiconductors.

The US action against Hong Kong-listed ZTE has given fresh urgency to the Chinese government’s efforts to expand the domestic semiconductor industry, which would help the country’s hi-tech companies become less reliant on foreign-developed chips.