Micron, ASML and Samsung attract attention at this year’s China International Import Expo amid rising chip tensions

US, South Korean and Dutch chip companies have a substantial presence at this year’s China import expo in Shanghai amid Beijing’s drive for chip self-sufficiency in response to an escalating tech war with the US.

At the “integrated circuit special section” in the China International Import Expo (CIIE), a total of 47 chip-related companies are represented. The companies displaying their wares include US chip giants Qualcomm and Micron Technology, Dutch chip equipment maker ASML Holding, as well as Samsung Electronics from South Korea.

Micron, whose products have been subject to a partial sales ban in China after failing a national security review in May, has set up a booth for the first time at the event. It has received VIP visitors such as Commerce Minister Wang Wentao as well as Nicholas Burns, US ambassador to China.

A Micron employee at the booth, who declined to give his name as he is not authorised to speak to media, said the US firm has improved its ties with Beijing in the face of business pressures. Micron has deployed a team of around 70 to 80 people for the event in a show of its commitment to China.

The integrated circuit (IC) area is part of the Intelligent Industry & Information Technology section of the event, one of the six major areas of the exhibition. It was first opened in 2020 to “help gather global superior resources, build an integrated circuit industry chain ecology and promote innovative development of domestic enterprises”, the event organiser was quoted as saying by state news agency Xinhua.

Samsung, which has a big presence at the IC section, has also had visits from batches of government officials, with the South Korean giant introducing its latest consumer-facing products and answering questions about its chip business in relation to China.