China doing very well in semi-conductors. - The Chinese semi-conductor industry is continuing to do better than its competitors, pointed out consultants PwC in a recent report. China now accounts for 41% of world semi-conductor consumption, 50% of takeover bids in the world and employs 25% of the world's semi-conductor industry workers. Overall, China continues to dominate the electronics industry with an increasing share in world production of electronic devices. The growth in Chinese semi-conductors is mainly due to multinationals specialising in the manufacture of integrated circuit boards, which account for four of the five biggest semi-conductor companies in China. Specialist Chinese labour is growing by around 10% a year in this domain. In terms of innovation, China now accounts for 22% of new licences granted in the semi-conductor research world, up from 13% in 2005. This trend is expected to intensify and reach 30% by the end of the year. (I.L./transl.fl)