In a U.S.-China Tech Battle, Companies Are Caught in the Middle

Interdependence of technology firms across the Pacific means that a tech war isn’t a zero-sum game

‘Made in China 2025’ is Beijing’s plan to dominate high-tech industries. The Trump administration argues China is using the plan to give its tech companies unfair advantage over foreign rivals. But what is it exactly?

Yoko Kubota and

Dan Strumpf

Updated April 19, 2018 7:39 p.m. ET

HONG KONG—China intensified the tit-for-tat trade battle with the U.S. on Thursday, with antitrust regulators warning that they have “hard to resolve” concerns about Qualcomm Inc.’s planned $44 billion purchase of NXP Semiconductors NV, potentially creating a stumbling block for the deal.

The move follows a decision by the U.S. Commerce Department to ban sales of American components to Chinese telecommunications company ZTE Corp., as well as threats from the White House to impose tariffs on $150 billion worth of Chinese goods...