The drop in imports does not bode well for exports in the coming months, as just under a third of China's imports are parts for re-export, particularly in the electronics sector.

TSMC, which is the world's largest contract chipmaker, has been one of the top beneficiaries of soaring demand for AI-capable chips

Exports were up by 23.5% from a year earlier to $39.9 billion – its eighth consecutive monthly rise, the finance ministry said on Tuesday

CEO of Europe's top chip-equipment maker says the auto industry needs a lot more chips that are made using simpler, long-known technologies

Samsung enjoyed a more than 15-fold rise in second-quarter operating profit, as chip prices rebounded thanks to the AI boom, but the group opposes unions and the strike may have little impact

MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan rose 0.9% to its highest since April 2022, while the Nikkei was close to its peak, the Topix hit all-time highs, and the Hang Seng rose for a fourth straight day

In May, the US Commerce Department revoked licences allowing companies including Intel and Qualcomm to ship chips used for laptops and handsets to Huawei

Any larger scale or protracted industrial action would be a headache for Samsung as it scrambles to catch up with rivals in chips used for artificial intelligence

US lawmakers had a busy week discussing rules about Chinese electric vehicles, as well as trade and investment measures on chips, drones and shipbuilding

China objects to envoy's claim that it is blocking people from attending US embassy events, despite Xi's pledge in November to try to improve bilateral ties

Tokyo imposed asset freezes and export bans on 11 companies, plus groups in five countries last Friday over sanctions related to Russia's invasion of Ukraine

Chinese companies have asked top Malaysian officials to lobby against the US imposing tariffs on products made or assembled in Malaysia