Semiconductor equipment sales to China fell in the first three months of the year—a sharp contrast to increased shipments to North America and global markets in the same period—as the world’s second-largest economy grapples with intensified trade restrictions imposed by Washington and its allies, reports the South China Morning Post. During the March quarter, sales of chip-making equipment to companies in China were down 23% year on year and 8% from the previous three months to $5.86 billion, according to data released on Tuesday by SEMI, a global industry association.
Despite the drop, China was still the world’s second-largest market for semiconductor equipment, behind Taiwan and ahead of South Korea.
For comparison, semiconductor equipment sales to China in the first quarter of 2022 surged 27% year on year to $7.6 billion, SEMI data showed. At the time, the country was the world’s largest market for semiconductor equipment.
