China's domestic mobile phone shipments fell 31.7 percent to 14.9 million handsets in February, compared to the same month last year, data from the China Academy of Information and Communications (CAICT) showed on Monday.

Smartphone shipments, which were 14.5 million handsets in February 2022, were down 31.8 percent from about 21.3 million handsets in February 2021, according to the CAICT.

Due to a global computer chip shortage, handset brands are currently experiencing production issues.

A combination of factors, including demand miscalculation, unexpected factory shutdowns, and U.S.-China tensions, have prompted many automobile companies to report chip sourcing issues.

That shortage has since spread to many types of chips and all kinds of hardware, including smartphones.

(With input from Reuters)

(Cover: CFP)