MILPITAS, CA – Jonathan Davis, global vice president of industry advocacy at SEMI, testified before a US interagency panel this week against $16 billion in additional tariffs on Chinese goods. This comes two months after he opposed $34 billion in US trade tariffs in front of the same panel on behalf of SEMI.

Davis urged the removal of 29 tariff lines covering machines and spare parts used to make wafers, flat panel displays and masks important to the semiconductor industry. Davis said tariffs are trivial in addressing US concerns over IP loss.

Joe Pon, corporate vice president at Applied Materials, testified the proposed tariffs will hurt small and midsized companies, giving non-US firms an unfair advantage.

In addition, more than 10 SEMI representatives met with 16 congressional offices this week to discuss the harm tariffs would have on the US semiconductor industry, advising congressional leaders to reject the tariffs.

SEMI projects the second list of proposed tariffs will cost its 400 US members more than $500 million annually.

Companies can request exclusions to these tariffs with the US Trade Representative (USTR). The deadline to submit product exclusion requests is Oct. 9. Approved exclusions will be effective for one year, retroactive to July 6.

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