Special Report

Daniel Murray: Record exports to China could leave chips stacked against Ireland

Last year, 63 per cent of the country’s trade to the superpower was made up of microchips leaving it exposed to a shock if a trade war were to break out

Exports of microchips to China alone were worth more than all Irish meat and dairy exports globally last year

One of the most extraordinary elements of the explosion in Ireland’s microchips’ exports has been its impact on our trade relationship with China.

Of the €10.7 billion in microchip exports recorded in 2022, €8.2 billion (77 per cent) went to China. Ireland’s total goods exports to China last year were €13 billion, meaning microchips made up 63 per cent of our exports there.

Agricultural products, traditionally seen as Ireland’s dominant export to China, only accounted ...