Re: Well Murica... if Sanctions are working so well...Why do you need more?
Most of Chinese names you see on chip-making academic papers and patents are most probably from Taiwan -- TSMC is now #4 top US patent grantee, only after IBM, Samsung, and Cannon. You'd also find that, if you dig deeper, most of the top brass/engineers at TSMC are also US-educated.
China's chip industry is still very young and they don't really have indigenous chip making talents or expertise of their own. It's likewise no surprise then that most of China's chip initiatives are spearheaded or assisted by Taiwanese expat in China (ie, former TSMC engineers). They are not necessarily "hungry," but they are definitely looking to enrich themselves by transfering their know-how. -- just look at SMIC's top co-honcho, Mong-Song Liang, a former-TSMC executive/engineer (with PhD from UCBerkeley).
Biting the hand that feeds IT
