美国将台湾，南韩芯片对中国出口禁令再推迟一年。
美国去年启动的对中国芯片出口禁令，包括禁止任何美国人在未经许可下，不能帮助中国工厂开发和生产芯片。中国在2021年超过日本，成为仅次于南韩和台湾的第三芯片生产大国，占据世界芯片市场近三分之一。
一位前美国高级官员表示，华盛顿认为扰乱全球供应链并不符合其最大利益，尤其是在 2024 年美国总统竞选即将到来的情况下。稳定经济是拜登政府的首要任务。
美国半导体行业协会7月表示：“反复采取措施……实施过于广泛、模糊甚至单方面的限制，可能会削弱美国半导体行业的竞争力，扰乱供应链，造成重大的市场不确定性，并促使中国采取持续升级的报复行动。”
U.S. to extend China chip export waivers for Taiwan, Korea chipmakers
Washington prioritizes avoiding turmoil in global semiconductor supply chains
South Korean chipmaker SK Hynix has 40% of its DRAM semiconductor production capacity in China. The company is among those granted a waiver by the U.S. to continue exporting semiconductor technology to China. © Reuters
RINTARO TOBITA, Nikkei staff writerAugust 24, 2023 02:37 JST
WASHINGTON -- The U.S. has decided to extend its one-year exemption allowing South Korean and Taiwanese chipmakers to continue bringing advanced semiconductor technology and related equipment into China, multiple industry sources told Nikkei.
The move is seen as potentially undermining U.S. efforts to curb China's ambitions in the tech sector. But it is also expected to prevent widespread disruption in the global semiconductor supply chain.
Alan Estevez, the U.S. undersecretary of commerce for industry and security, had touched on the possibility of an extension during an industry event in June. The duration of the extension has not yet been decided. But a proposal in the administration to make the exemptions indefinite has been floated.
The U.S. last October imposed sweeping restrictions on exports of advanced semiconductors and chipmaking equipment to China. It also banned "U.S. persons" from helping the development or production of chips at Chinese facilities without a license.
Samsung Electronics, SK Hynix and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., which all have major production hubs in China, lobbied against the curbs, claiming they would deal a major blow to business. The U.S. later issued the companies a one-year waiver that allowed them to continue transactions similar to those they had been engaged in before the introduction of the restrictions.
The U.S. plans to extend that exemption, currently set to expire this October, with the same conditions. This would permit South Korean and Taiwanese companies to bring American chipmaking equipment and other key supplies to their facilities in China, allowing production to continue uninterrupted.
Global semiconductor sales totaled around $570 billion in 2022. Nearly a third came from China, a key production hub for iPhones and other tech devices. China also overtook Japan in chipmaking capacity in 2021, becoming the largest player behind South Korea and Taiwan.
South Korea's chipmakers have particularly strong ties to China. Around 40% of SK Hynix's DRAM production capacity is based in China, meaning the global supply of computers and other electronic devices could have experienced major disruptions without the export exemptions.
Supply chain problems caused by the COVID-19 pandemic dealt a major blow to the global economy.
Given the complexity of the global chip ecosystem, companies would struggle to extract their supply chains from China quickly.
Export restrictions on equipment used in the production of the most advanced semiconductors are proving effective, and are likely another reason for extending the waivers. Japan and the Netherlands have also agreed to impose similar restrictions on exports of such equipment to China.
"The combined effect of the U.S. export controls and eventually the Japanese and Dutch controls will eventually prevent companies in China to produce advanced node semiconductors," said Kevin Wolf, a former U.S. assistant secretary of commerce for export administration.
The Biden administration plans to enforce export curbs only on cutting-edge products that could lead to the development of advanced military equipment. It does not want to disrupt economic activity by also restricting trade in less advanced chips.
Washington does not believe disrupting global supply chains will be in its best interest, especially with the U.S. presidential race coming up in 2024, a former senior U.S. official said.
Inflation in the U.S. remains high despite cooling from its peak. Economic stability is considered a priority for U.S. President Joe Biden, who is seeking reelection.
U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo will visit China from Sunday to Wednesday for talks with her Chinese counterpart Wang Wentao. The trip is intended to establish a dialogue to prevent U.S.-China tensions over semiconductors from escalating.
Meanwhile, semiconductor companies are growing frustrated by the restrictions around China.
"Repeated steps ... to impose overly broad, ambiguous, and at times unilateral restrictions risk diminishing the U.S. semiconductor industry's competitiveness, disrupting supply chains, causing significant market uncertainty, and prompting continued escalatory retaliation by China," the U.S.-based Semiconductor Industry Association said in July.
Washington prioritizes avoiding turmoil in global semiconductor supply chains
asia.nikkei.com
m.dw.com
