Why China can’t fix the global microchip shortage SECTIONS Last Updated: Mar 02, 2021, 09:37 AM IST Share Synopsis China's self-sufficiency in semiconductors remains low: It exports about $100 billion worth of chips but imports more than $300 billion. Meanwhile, China makes 28% of the semiconductor production equipment required by chipmakers, according to HSBC Holdings Plc. estimates. Getty Images The stark reality is that, when it comes to chips and chipmaking machinery, China just can’t produce what the world needs. Why can’t China step in to fill the chip shortage? The vaunted factory floor of the world has flooded the global economy with goods, and has often had to deal with domestic oversupplies itself. Why then has it been largely on the sidelines of the debate over solving the worldwide semiconductor shortage?