Chinese buyout of US chipmaker on edge

Washington

PRESIDENT Donald Trump will decide in the next two weeks whether to block a Chinese-backed private equity firm from buying a US chipmaker, putting his economic and diplomatic relations with China under a spotlight.

Lattice Semiconductor Corp said in a filing on Friday it will seek Mr Trump's approval for its proposed US$1.3 billion sale to Canyon Bridge Capital Partners, gambling that the former real estate dealmaker will approve the tie-up against the advice of the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), which scrutinises foreign deals for national security concerns.

The decision, which …