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40 DESIGN007 MAGAZINE I AUGUST 2025 B eneath the surface of debates about reshoring, tariffs, and supply chain resilience lies a deeper reality: Global electronics manufacturing is increasingly driven by the flow of inputs, not just the shipment of final goods. Electronics manufacturing is not just global; it is globally interdependent. In 2023 (the most recent data available), electronics trade reached $4.4 trillion, accounting for more than 20% of total global merchandise trade. This figure reflects not only strong consumer demand for smartphones, computers, and electric vehicles, but also the dense web of international transactions behind each fin- ished product. Electronic components such as semiconductors, circuit boards, connectors, sensors, and batteries now account for most trade in the electronics sector. This dynamic has accelerated in recent years, reflecting the grow- ing complexity of both devices and supply chains. In 2023, global trade in elec- tronics inputs exceeded trade in finished electronics by more than $400 billion. As products become more technologically advanced, they require a larger number of specialized parts, many produced in only a handful of locations. The result is a supply chain that is highly fragmented, deeply lay- ered, and tightly interconnected across borders. This interdependence is struc- tural. No country controls the entire value chain, and efforts to achieve "technological self- sufficiency" must reckon with the deep-rooted realities of global specialization. For com- panies and policymakers, under- standing this hidden geogra- phy is essential. Resilience may depend less on isolation and more on how interdependence is managed. Implications of New Manufacturing Hubs China exemplifies the paradox at the heart of global electron- ics trade. As the world's largest exporter of finished electronics, it plays a central role in assem- bling and shipping everything from smartphones to servers. Yet China itself remains deeply F E AT U R E A RT I C L E B y D r. S h a w n D u B ra va c , G l o b a l E l e ct ro n i c s As s o c i a t i o n The Hidden Geography of Electronics (Editor's note: This article originally appeared in the Summer 2025 issue of Community Magazine.)