Electronics market faces shortages

%3CP%3E%3CFONT%20face%3DVerdana%3EChina%27s%20electronics%20market%20has%20been%20severely%20affected%20by%20the%20aftermath%20of%20the%20earthquake%20and%20tsunami%20that%20hit%20Japan%20on%20Friday.%3C/FONT%3E%3C/P%3E%0D%0A%3CP%3E%3CFONT%20face%3DVerdana%3EThat%27s%20because%20many%20Japanese%20electronics%20companies%20have%20closed%20their%20factories%20in%20the%20country%2C%20meaning%20that%20supply%20in%20certain%20Chinese%20markets%20is%20facing%20intense%20shortages%20that%20could%20last%20until%20June.%3C/FONT%3E%3C/P%3E%0D%0A%3CP%3E%3CFONT%20face%3DVerdana%3EZhongguancun%2C%20Beijing%27s%20largest%20retailing%20market%20for%20electronic%20goods%20by%20size%2C%20is%20the%20barometer%20of%20the%20market%20for%20Chinese%20digital%20products.%3C/FONT%3E%3C/P%3E%0D%0A%3CP%3E%3CFONT%20face%3DVerdana%3EUnlike%20major%20retail%20chains%2C%20which%20place%20orders%20ahead%20of%20time%2C%20Zhongguancun%20is%20a%20market%20that%20is%20highly%20susceptible%20to%20supply%20and%20demand.%3C/FONT%3E%3C/P%3E%0D%0A%3CP%3E%3CFONT%20face%3DVerdana%3EA%20swathe%20of%20top-name%20Japanese%20electronics%20manufacturers%2C%20including%20Sony%20Corp%2C%20Toshiba%20Inc%2C%20Canon%20Inc%20and%20Panasonic%20Corp%2C%20have%20been%20forced%20to%20close%20their%20factories%20in%20areas%20affected%20by%20Friday%27s%20disaster.%20Up%20to%20six%20Sony%20manufacturing%20plants%20have%20been%20shut%20down.%3C/FONT%3E%3C/P%3E%0D%0A%3CP%3E%3CFONT%20face%3DVerdana%3E%22The%20price%20of%20Nikon%27s%20camera%20D3X%20increased%20by%202%2C000%20yuan%20%28%24304%29%20within%20three%20days%20of%20the%20earthquake%2C%22%20said%20Cheng%20Ying%2C%20a%20vendor%20in%20Zhongguancun.%3C/FONT%3E%3C/P%3E%0D%0A%3CP%3E%3CFONT%20face%3DVerdana%3E%22The%20price%20will%20keep%20on%20increasing%20because%20many%20digital%20cameras%20are%20made%20in%20Japan.%20Chinese%20dealers%20simply%20don%27t%20have%20enough%20inventories.%22%3C/FONT%3E%3C/P%3E%0D%0A%3CP%3E%3CFONT%20face%3DVerdana%3EFriday%27s%20tsunami%20swept%20away%20120%2C000%20Sony%20PlayStation3%20units.%20That%20resulted%20in%20the%20price%20of%20the%20PlayStation%20in%20the%20Chinese%20gray%20market%20increasing%20by%20200%20yuan%20almost%20immediately.%3C/FONT%3E%3C/P%3E%0D%0A%3CP%3E%3CFONT%20face%3DVerdana%3E%22The%20120%20gigabyte%20version%20is%20already%20out%20of%20stock.%20Because%20of%20the%20shortage%20caused%20by%20the%20earthquake%2C%20we%20will%20have%20to%20raise%20the%20price%20even%20higher%2C%22%20said%20Lei%20Tao%2C%20a%20games%20vendor%20from%20Zhongguancun.%3C/FONT%3E%3C/P%3E%0D%0A%3CP%3E%3CFONT%20face%3DVerdana%3EJapan%20exports%20electronic%20products%20worth%20about%20%243%20billion%20to%20China%20every%20month%2C%20according%20to%20the%20Shenzhen-based%20securities%20company%20Guosen%20Securities.%3C/FONT%3E%3C/P%3E%0D%0A%3CP%3E%3CFONT%20face%3DVerdana%3EMany%20Chinese%20semiconductor%20manufacturers%20have%20seen%20their%20share%20price%20rise%20in%20the%20days%20following%20the%20earthquake%2C%20but%20Vincent%20Gu%2C%20an%20industry%20analyst%20from%20the%20US-based%20market%20analysis%20company%20iSuppli%20Corp%2C%20said%20that%20the%20effect%20was%20%22limited%22%20to%20the%20Chinese%20market%20because%20most%20of%20the%20destroyed%20facilities%20supplied%20the%20Japanese%2C%20rather%20than%20the%20international%2C%20market.%3C/FONT%3E%3C/P%3E%0D%0A%3CP%3E%3CFONT%20face%3DVerdana%3EMost%20of%20the%20Japanese%20companies%20are%20still%20evaluating%20their%20losses%20and%20are%20very%20cautious%20about%20commenting%20on%20the%20supply%20shortage%20in%20the%20Chinese%20market.%3C/FONT%3E%3C/P%3E%0D%0A%3CP%3E%3CFONT%20face%3DVerdana%3EFor%20Toshiba%2C%20the%20Chinese%20market%20accounts%20for%2021%20percent%20of%20their%20sales%20revenue%20in%20Asia%2C%20excluding%20Japan.%3C/FONT%3E%3C/P%3E%0D%0A%3CP%3E%3CFONT%20face%3DVerdana%3EThe%20company%27s%20spokesman%20told%20that%20their%20flash%20memory%20plant%2C%20which%20produces%20Apple%20Inc%27s%20iPad%202%2C%20was%20unaffected%20by%20the%20earthquake.%3C/FONT%3E%3C/P%3E%0D%0A%3CP%3E%3CFONT%20face%3DVerdana%3EHowever%2C%20he%20also%20said%20that%20the%20company%20is%20still%20%22checking%20and%20assessing%20the%20damage%20caused%20by%20the%20earthquake%22.%3C/FONT%3E%3C/P%3E%0D%0A%3CP%3E%3CFONT%20face%3DVerdana%3ESony%27s%20spokeswoman%20told%20that%20the%20main%20priority%20is%20to%20safeguard%20the%20well-being%20of%20its%20employees%20in%20the%20affected%20areas%2C%20and%20has%20donated%20products%20and%20money%20to%20help%20Japan%20recover%20from%20the%20disaster%2C%20but%20%22the%20loss%20to%20Sony%20is%20significant%22.%3C/FONT%3E%3C/P%3E