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China’s chip import volume falls in first four months amid tech self-sufficiency push, Covid-related manufacturing disruption
- China imported 186 billion IC units from January to April, down 11.4 per cent year-on-year
- The current downward trend is in sharp contrast with roaring IC import growth seen over the past two years
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China’s import volume of integrated circuits (ICs) dropped in the first four months of 2022, according to official customs data, at a time when the country is attempting to cut its reliance on foreign technologies while imposing strict anti-pandemic measures that have crippled the manufacturing sector.
China imported 186 billion IC units from January to April, down 11.4 per cent from the 210 billion units imported during the same period last year, data from the General Administration of Customs shows. However, the value of the imports jumped 10 per cent to US$134.5 billion as a global chip shortage pushed up prices.
China’s imports of ICs shrank 9.6 per cent in volume in the first quarter from a year ago, according to Chinese customs data released last month, marking a sharp retreat from the 33.6 per cent increase in the same period in 2021.
The figures released by the General Administration of Customs on Monday did not include a breakdown by IC type.
The current downward trend is in sharp contrast with roaring IC import growth over the past two years, when the monthly IC import growth rate averaged around 25 per cent.
Chinese companies have been stockpiling semiconductors since late 2020 amid concerns over supply disruptions caused by US-China economic decoupling and the coronavirus pandemic. As the tech war with the US has intensified, Beijing has doubled down on a self-sufficiency drive for chips by pumping investment into the sector.
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