33% Of Respondents Believed the Trade Tensions Between the U.S. And China Contributed to the Micron Ban

In a recent development, China announced its ban on products sold by Micron, a prominent U.S. chipmaker, citing serious cybersecurity concerns that could affect China’s national security and critical information infrastructure supply chain.

Micron plays a significant role as a memory chip supplier in the global market, and the ban is expected to have far-reaching effects, potentially impacting chip prices and technology product availability and straining the U.S.-China relationship further amid an ongoing trade war.

China’s ban on Micron is an attempt to reduce reliance on foreign technology, a trend observed in other countries. The Micron ban exemplifies the escalating tensions between the U.S. and China, fueled by competition in various domains.

Real Research, an online survey app, has launched a survey on China banning major chip giant, citing national security concerns to gauge public opinion on China’s ban on Micron and its impact on the global chip market.

Highlights:

• 39.3% of respondents are well aware of China banning major chip giant Micron.
• Half of the respondents (50.87%) believed China had ulterior motives.
• 33.36% believed the trade tensions between the U.S. and China contributed to the ban.

We first asked our respondents if they were aware of the Chinese government’s ban on products sold by the U.S. chipmaker Micron. About 39% of them said they were very aware of the ban, while 33% said they were somewhat aware, and the remaining 28% said they were not aware of the ban at all.

Next, we asked the respondents if they thought China had ulterior motives which promoted this move. Half of the respondents (51%) said yes, compared to 20% who said no, and 29% who remained uncertain.

Factors That Prompted China’s Decision

Figure 1 reveals respondents’ opinions on the factors that could have contributed to China’s ban on Micron.

The survey revealed that 33% of respondents believed the trade tensions between China and the U.S. contributed mostly, followed by 27% who believed in technological competition and industry dominance and 24% who believed in economic and market protectionism.

Impacts on China’s Technological Development and Manufacturing Industry

When we asked the respondents whether the ban would significantly impact China’s technological development and manufacturing industry, 32% said moderately, 26 said significantly, 18% said no impact, and 24% remained unsure.

We then asked our respondents if they thought the ban would have a negative impact on Micron’s business and market position in Chinese society. About 32% of them said they thought the ban would have a moderate negative impact, while 28% said they thought it would have a major negative impact.

Only 18% of them said they thought the ban would have no impact, and 24% said they were unsure.

Will China’s Ban on Micron Disrupt Global Supply Chains?

China’s ban on Micron could disrupt global supply chains. Micron is a major supplier of memory chips, which are used in a wide variety of products, including smartphones, computers, and cars.

The ban could make it more difficult for Chinese companies to obtain these chips, which could lead to delays in production and higher prices for consumers.

The ban could also have a ripple effect on other countries. For example, if China is unable to obtain memory chips from Micron, it may turn to other suppliers, such as Samsung or SK Hynix.

According to our survey results, 45% of respondents believed that China’s ban on Micron would disrupt supply chains, while 23% denied it, and 32% were unsure.

In October 2022, the U.S. Department of Commerce (DoC) banned all companies, even foreign ones, from selling advanced semiconductor technologies to China. The DoC criticized China’s recent ban on Micron for causing “distortions of the memory chip market.”

The DoC’s ban is part of a broader effort by the Biden administration to restrict China’s access to advanced technology. The administration believes that China is using its economic power to steal American technology and build up its military.

40% of respondents believed that this is a reasonable accusation, while 19% did not, and 40% who were unsure.