REUTERS/Aly SongSHANGHAI, Sept 23 (Reuters) - Five Chinese tech-focused ETFs launched on Friday, testing investor appetite for chipmakers, new materials producers and machine tool manufacturers amid an escalating Sino-U.S. tech war, and a global rout in tech shares. Two of the ETFs will invest money into the stocks of the 50 biggest chipmakers listed on Shanghai's STAR Market, including Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation (SMIC) (0981.HK) and Montage Technology Co (688008.SS). read moreIt also comes amid heightened geopolitical tensions and tech rivalries between China and the United States. The Biden administration took fresh steps in recent weeks to support domestic tech sectors and cut economic reliance on China, sending shares in Chinese biotech and new energy lower. Shanghai's tech-focused STAR Market - which Beijing hopes will fund China's tech self-sufficiency - has tumbled roughly 30% this year.

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