OREANDA-NEWS  Russian manufacturers of electronics and semiconductors have asked to impose duties on the import of smart cards (SIM cards, bank and transport cards) in the amount of 50-100 percent to protect against Chinese competitors, Kommersant writes.

ANO "Telecommunication Technologies" sent a corresponding letter to the Ministry of Industry and Trade. They claim that Russian card manufacturers have production facilities capable of meeting the needs of customers. Now the duty on the import of ready-made smart cards has been reset to zero, and the components are on average seven percent, which puts domestic companies "in obviously losing conditions."

The source of the publication notes that market players are afraid of the expansion of Chinese smart card manufacturers in Russia. The difference in the price of a Chinese card and a Russian one with an imported chip can reach 500 percent. "The Chinese entering the Russian market will kill Russian card manufacturers," the source believes. Experts predict rising prices and the risk of bankruptcy of domestic producers.

Exports of Chinese high-tech products to Russia fell sharply in March last year. According to the US Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo, the companies have reduced supplies in order not to violate the trade bans imposed by the US authorities.