DIGITIMES Research recently conducted a survey of China’s IC design industry. According to the data collected, China’s total semiconductor imports in 2021 reached US$432.5 billion, up 23.6% from 2020, while exports ttaled US$153.8 billion, up 31.9%, with a trade deficit of US$278.7 billion. Customs data is usually not too far off, but Taiwan is a major semiconductor producer and yet its exports reached only US$155.5 billion in 2021, so the structure of China’s imports and exports clearly needs more explanation.