China’s chip imports shrank 13 per cent from January to September as US ratchets up pressure in tech war
- China’s semiconductor imports fell 12.8 per cent to 417.1 billion units in the first nine months of the year, Chinese customs data showed
- Production of locally made chips plunged 16.4 per cent in September to 26.1 billion units, National Bureau of Statistics figures showed
China’s chip imports shrank nearly 13 per cent in the first nine months, according to Chinese customs data, as the world’s biggest market for semiconductors grapples with an escalating tech war with the US.
China imported a total of 417.1 billion of integrated circuits (IC) from January to September, down 12.8 per cent from 478.3 billion units in the same period last year, according to data from the General Administration of Customs on Monday. The decline matched the 12.8 per cent drop in the year’s first eight months and the steepest slump in 2022.
The reduced volume is a sharp contrast to the first nine months of 2021, when imports rose 23.7 per cent.
However, the value of chip imports increased 1.5 per cent year on year to US$316.9 billion from January to September, meaning China is purchasing chips at higher prices.
01:57
China condemns new US law aimed at boosting domestic semiconductor manufacturing
Separately, data from the National Bureau of Statistics released on Monday showed that domestic chip output plunged 16.4 per cent in September to 26.1 billion units. In the first nine months of 2022, total output fell 10.8 per cent to 245 billion units.
The import and domestic output figures, originally scheduled to be released on October 14 and 18, respectively, were delayed due to the Chinese Communist Party congress. The government did not give a reason for the delay. China concluded its week-long 20th party congress on Saturday.