There is that idea that government includes all the really bright people - those Rolls Royce minds - and therefore we’d be better off leaving all the difficult stuff to them. Now, we don’t know whether this is in fact government making this mistake but mistake it is:

China dominates the global semiconductor market but officials have been increasingly concerned about the national security implications of this.

No, not really. In fact, not actually at all.

Taiwanese companies account for 50% of the semiconductor world market.

Others put it closer to two-thirds, not one-half.

Now yes, we are all supposed to agree with that One China idea (what is it, four or five systems now? Tibet, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan all having differences) but let’s keep that where it belongs, in that diplomatic lip service. In economic terms Taiwan - and therefore the nexus of the global semiconductor industry - is not in that part of China run by the CCP. Which is presumably what people might worry about.

The importance of this?

Britain to challenge China with £1bn subsidies for computer chip makers

The decision comes amid a growing unease over Britain’s reliance on Chinese made components

Please, please, do tell us that we’re not about to spend £1 billion because the Foreign Office wishes to be polite to Beijing - a perfectly acceptable thing to do of course - and we’ve all forgotten that this really is, only, the Foreign Office being polite to Beijing.