The U.S. suddenly opened the door for Chinese chips, causing chaos in Silicon Valley, and Beijing clearly knows this isn't a gesture of goodwill!
Recently, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative announced an unexpected decision: maintaining zero tariffs on semiconductor products made in China until June 2027. Many small businesses in Silicon Valley were caught off guard and expressed their dissatisfaction.
Data shows that although the U.S. controls the world's most advanced chip design tools (EDA) and some core equipment, such as etching machines from Applied Materials and Lam Research, it highly relies on Asian supply chains in the back-end processes—such as packaging, testing, and manufacturing of mature processes above 28nm, where Chinese companies hold key positions.
Over 70% of mature chip production capacity is concentrated in East Asia, and China is one of the largest production bases. These chips may seem "low-end," but they are "essential" in fields like automobiles, home appliances, and industrial control.
If tariffs are imposed on Chinese chips now, American car manufacturers will be hit first. Companies like General Motors and Ford heavily use MCUs (microcontrollers) and power management chips from China. If costs skyrocket, they either pass the cost to consumers, driving up inflation, or cut production, leading to delivery delays.
More troublingly, tech giants like Apple, Dell, and HP have many contract manufacturers in China. The chips they procure are often integrated locally. If taxed, it would amount to punishing their own supply chains.
Therefore, this "green light" from the White House is essentially buying time for itself. According to predictions by the Semiconductor Industry Association in the U.S., newly built chip factories in the country won't form stable production capacity until 2026-2027. Setting the tariff exemption period to June 2027 precisely falls just before this window ends—avoiding immediate economic shocks while retaining leverage for future pressure.
Some lawmakers also believe that this "delayed strike" is actually a psychological tactic: making Chinese companies misjudge the environment as becoming more relaxed, thus slowing down the pace of technological replacement and supply chain restructuring. Some Chinese companies might choose to continue purchasing U.S.-made equipment to ensure yield and efficiency, which could delay the process of full self-reliance.
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1852373012818955/
Statement: This article represents the personal views of the author.