China’s imports of semiconductors from January to May this year fell sharply from the same period last year.
Hong Kong’s South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported on the 10th that China’s semiconductor imports fell 10.9% during the period from a year ago, citing data from the Chinese customs authorities, the General Administration of Customs. This is in contrast to China’s semiconductor imports from January to May last year, which jumped 30% from the same period a year ago in 2020.
According to the Customs and Excise Department, China imported 232 billion semiconductor chips from January to May this year. The figure is down 10.9 percent from the same period last year’s 260 billion semiconductor imports.
In the January-May period of this year, China’s semiconductor imports fell 10.9% compared to the same period last year, but as semiconductor prices soared, semiconductor imports increased by 9% compared to the same period last year.
Based on data from the General Administration of Customs and Excise, the SCMP estimated that the average import price per semiconductor in China rose by an average of 23% from the same period last year in January to May. The Customs Service did not disclose the size and amount of imports of semiconductor chips by type.
China’s imports of semiconductors have plunged this year, mainly due to the Chinese authorities’ “Zero COVID” policy.
Since early this year, Chinese authorities have implemented high-intensity quarantine policies, including blocking Shanghai, the center of the semiconductor and automobile industries, for about two months as the COVID-19 crisis worsened.
In addition, it was analyzed that the disruption of semiconductor supply chain due to technological competition between the U.S. and China and the increase in self-production due to China’s “semiconductor rise” policy also affected it.
