China declares it is now the leading global chipmaking power — mainly because it just changed the definition of what a semiconductor is

Microchip on a motherboard with Flag of China and USA. Concept for the battle of global microchips production.

• China's State Council published a revised integrated-circuit layout-design regulation, deleting the words "semiconductor integrated circuit" from its definitions article, essentially rewriting what it considers an integrated circuit
• The regulation does retain mentions of "semiconductor material substrate", but chooses to expand on its definition in a separate clause
• It also expressly extends protection to photonic and quantum chip design layouts from October 2026

China's State Council has published the revised Regulations on the Protection of Layout Designs of Integrated Circuits, the first systematic rewrite of a text that had sat untouched since April 2001.