China's semiconductor equipment imports rise 16% in August

Investing.com -- China imported $4.76 billion worth of semiconductor production equipment in August, marking a 16% increase from the same month last year, according to Jefferies analysis of Chinese customs data released last week.

The August figure represents a shift after steady year-over-year declines since November 2025. June and July imports were roughly flat compared to the prior year before August showed double-digit growth.

For the first eight months of 2026, total semiconductor production equipment imports reached $30.69 billion, down 5% from the same period in 2025. The decline margin has been narrowing in recent months.

By product category in August, front-end processing equipment totaled $3.26 billion, up 24% year-over-year. Inspection and testing equipment reached $457 million, up 12%, while packaging equipment stood at $178 million, up 34%. Parts imports fell 13% to $591 million.

Imports from the United States totaled $358 million in August, down 8% from a year earlier. For January through August, U.S. imports to China fell 24% to $2.60 billion. Jefferies noted that U.S.-based equipment makers appear to be shifting exports to China through Singapore, Malaysia and other locations.

Imports from the Netherlands, which includes ASML, reached $932 million in August, down 4% year-over-year. This marked the first decline in four months.

Singapore ranked as the second-largest source of equipment after Japan, with August imports of $725 million, up 52% from a year earlier. January-August imports from Singapore totaled $6.25 billion, up 16%.

Japan remained the largest supplier, though imports fell 6% in August to $1.04 billion. For the first eight months of 2026, imports from Japan declined 12% to $7.38 billion.

The U.S. Congress continues to discuss the bipartisan Multilateral Alignment of Technology Controls on Hardware bill, which would require allied countries including Japan and the Netherlands to apply similar export restrictions as the United States. The bill's passage remains uncertain.

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