At major China chip fair, firms ramp up call to buy domestic

Chinese semiconductor companies at SEMICON China showcase domestic products as Beijing pushes for self-reliance amid geopolitical strains.

Chinese semiconductor-related companies pulled out all the stops at one of the country's largest chip-sector fairs this week to pitch domestic buying, echoing Beijing's call to galvanise support for an industry facing growing geopolitical strains.

The message was plastered across booths and marketing materials of a variety of companies, from chip equipment makers to materials producers. These included Vel-Tec Semiconductor, a Kunshan-based firm that makes photoresist coating equipment, and Shenzhen-listed Jingsheng, which manufactures machines used for processing silicon wafers.

Over a dozen Chinese exhibitors at the annual SEMICON China show in Shanghai that Reuters spoke to said their products could be used as replacement for foreign-made ones. Staff from foreign firms that were represented said that while there was still a gap in quality and efficacy, Chinese rivals were quickly catching up.

"'Buy local' and getting supply chains out of US control was a clear focus of many at the show," said Cameron Johnson, a Shanghai-based senior partner at consultancy Tidalwave Solutions, who has attended SEMICON since 2016.

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The three-day show provided a glimpse into the mood of the Chinese semiconductor industry, which has been hit with multiple export curbs from the U.S. and its allies. Washington says it does not want to see advanced chips and related technology end up in the hands of the Chinese military.