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"The real answer is not a trade war. It's not restrictions," Brian Krzanich told CNBC. "It's really about making the U.S. more competitive."

(AP photo)

Intel chief executive Brian Krzanich says last month's meeting between president-elect Donald Trump and a cadre of tech executives focused on cutting taxes and boosting high-tech manufacturing.

Returning manufacturing jobs to the United States was a theme of Trump's campaign and his presidential transition. Trump has called out companies who shift production jobs abroad and demanded the U.S. should take a tougher line with China in particular.

The chipmaker is unusual among its high-tech peers in that it makes most of its products in the U.S. The company's largest and most advanced operations are in Hillsboro, where Intel engineers and produces each new generation of microprocessor.

In a Friday interview with CNBC at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Krzanich said Intel sells three-quarters of its chips abroad. He said China is the company's fastest-growing market and sought to discourage the prospect of a trade dispute.

"The real answer is not a trade war. It's not restrictions," Krzanich said. "It's really about making the U.S. more competitive, lowering the tax rates, making it easier for people to do manufacturing here."

Intel is Oregon's largest private employer. The company had 19,500 people working in Hillsboro before a series of layoffs and buyouts last year eliminated more than 13 percent of Intel jobs companywide. Intel won't disclose its current Oregon headcount.

Intel has had a prominent role at the Consumer Electronics Show in each of the four years Krzanich has been CEO. In the prior three years Krzanich gave the opening keynote -- this time, Intel showed off virtual reality technology and touted other new products.

On Wednesday, the company announced what it calls the world's first 5G modem. Having missed the smartphone and tablet revolution, Intel has all but given up on the current generation of 4G wireless technology. Instead, it's focusing on a forthcoming, faster wireless standard.

Intel hopes 5G will do more than just enable faster smartphones. The chipmaker says 5G wireless technology will enable connected devices with very little lag, or latency, in their communication, linking devices in a wireless network that will operate almost as if they were a single machine.

It will be at least a few years, though, before 5G wireless is ready for prime time, and it may be several years before it's commonplace.

Intel also said Wednesday that it plans to roll out a fleet of 40 self-driving cars late this year through its partnership with BMW and Israeli camera company Mobileye. Intel hopes its processors will find a place in the emerging field of autonomous driving, and has a created a new group within the company to focus on that market.

And earlier in the week Intel formally launched its latest generation of microprocessor.

-- Mike Rogoway; twitter: @rogoway; 503-294-7699