China sees surge in value of semiconductor-manufacturing equipment orders amid latest US export controls, as chip imports post mild recovery

China's imports of semiconductor-manufacturing equipment, the prime target of the United States government's updated tech export controls, surged in value by nearly 80 per cent in October from a year earlier, according to the mainland's latest customs data.

Imports of various chip-making tools - including those used to manufacture silicon wafers, integrated circuits (ICs) and flat-panel displays - totalled US$4.3 billion in October, up from US$2.4 billion in the same period last year, customs data showed.

That increased demand reflects the major effort by Chinese semiconductor companies to stockpile chip-making tools ahead of the latest US tech trade controls, which took effect a month after Washington's announcement.

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The US Bureau of Industry and Security in October added less-advanced lithography equipment, used for making semiconductors on a 45-nanometre node and more mature processes, as well as certain advanced tools for etching and film deposition to a list of restricted items for export to China. This was expected to tighten controls that were enforced a year ago, which aimed to impede China's development of artificial intelligence chips and other advanced ICs.

China's semiconductor imports have gradually improved since recording a 26.5 per cent year-on-year decline in the first two months of 2023. Photo: Shutterstock alt=China's semiconductor imports have gradually improved since recording a 26.5 per cent year-on-year decline in the first two months of 2023. Photo: Shutterstock>

The latest US export restrictions further limit the range of chip lithography equipment that Netherlands-based ASML Holding can export to mainland China, the company's third-largest geographic market.

ASML has a monopoly on the world's most advanced extreme ultraviolet lithography machines, which are used to produce cutting-edge chips. The Dutch firm has not supplied these machines to China since 2019 under pressure from US sanctions.

Still, ASML is allowed to sell most of its less-advanced deep ultraviolet lithography systems to clients in China that produce so-called legacy chips, widely used in everything from cars to home appliances.

China's chip imports, meanwhile, have gradually improved since recording a 26.5 per cent year-on-year decline in the first two months of this year.

The total number of IC imports from January to November reached 437.6 billion units, down 12.1 per cent from the same period last year, according to data published by the General Administration of Customs on Thursday. By contrast, China's chip imports in the first 10 months of 2023 were down 13.1 per cent.

While the total value of chip imports from January to November was down 16.5 per cent year on year to US$316.6 billion, that marked an improvement from the 18.8 per cent drop in value in the first 10 months of the year. By comparison, the value of China's overall imports saw a 6 per cent decrease in the first 11 months of the year.

The latest chip import figures show a mild recovery in the domestic market, especially in the consumer electronics sector.

Smartphone sales in China, for example, rose 11 per cent in the first four weeks of October compared with a year earlier, according to a report from Counterpoint Research. It was the latest sign that the world's largest smartphone market is recovering from an eight-month slump, as top Chinese handset vendors led by Xiaomi, Honor and Huawei Technologies beat rival Apple in terms of growth during that period.

This article originally appeared in the South China Morning Post (SCMP), the most authoritative voice reporting on China and Asia for more than a century. For more SCMP stories, please explore the SCMP app or visit the SCMP's Facebook and Twitter pages. Copyright © 2023 South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.

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