Wanyuan Song is a reporter for the BBC News.

Employees work on the assembly line of printed circuit board for smartphone at a factory on January 7, 2021 in Jiangsu Province of ChinaImage source, Getty Images
Image caption, Printed circuit board manufacturing at a factory in Jiangsu province

Some of China's biggest cities have been hit by Covid lockdowns this spring, and it has had a disruptive effect on the country's economy.

People in other countries are also going to be affected.

The UK imported nearly 70 billion dollars worth of goods from China last year, and any halt in production could have an impact on prices.

China is the largest producer of electronic goods in the world.

The UK buys a lot of mobile phones from China. The UK imported over 7 billion dollars of telecoms and sound equipment between 2020 and 2021.

New iPhone 13s are displayed at an Apple store on January 27, 2022 in Corte Madera, CaliforniaImage source, Getty Images
Image caption, The production of iPhones has been significantly delayed

Several companies that supply components for Apple have had to close factories in the Shanghai area because of Covid lockdowns.

By mid-April, the production of three million iPhones had already been affected, according to an analysis from investment firm Wedbush Securities.

A new computer chip plant by the Chinese company has been delayed.

The city produces about one third of the computer chips in China.

Map showing key manufacturing and export areas of China

A surge in demand last year caused supply problems for the sector.

The production of computers and printers could be affected by lock downs.

China needs to import key materials in order to produce the semi-conductors that are used in these devices.

Delivery to Europe have been delayed by an average of seven days because of covid restrictions.

According to Currys PC World, the impact of lockdowns was yet to be seen. Transport problems in China are causing increasing costs.

A barrier is removed in an area of Guangzhou in Guangdong provinceImage source, Getty Images
Image caption, There have been restrictions on movement in areas under lockdown

The biggest container port in the world is still not operating at normal capacity despite China trying to keep some factories and ports open by having key workers stay on the premises.

Chinese businesses have begun shipping their products using alternative ports, which have longer delivery times.

Retailers in the UK might be able to temporarily resist price increases, but if costs in China keep rising then consumers will have to pay more, according to Joris Teer.

The UK doesn't buy many cars directly from China but does buy a lot from the EU, accounting for 80% of UK vehicle imports in 2020.

Cargo ships work at the Qianwan Container Terminal of Qingdao Port in East China's Shandong Province, April 13, 2022Image source, Getty Images
Image caption, Chinese-made car components are important for many European vehicle manufacturers

Most German tyres and brake pads are made in China, according to Chinese official data.

In the last few months, manufacturing areas such as Guangdong, Jilin and Shanghai have been under siege.

Car production was affected by the global chip shortage last year. The sector is having to deal with transport delays caused by lockdowns.

In March, the prices for some of the most popular cars in the UK were already as much as 26% higher compared with three years ago, according to one car-buying website.

The consumer in the UK will end up paying for it if China raises its prices because of increased costs.

The fourth largest category of goods imported from China is clothing.

A police officer checks a truck driver's COVID-19 nucleic acid test result at an expressway toll station on April 3, 2022 in Shanghai, China.Image source, Getty Images
Image caption, A truck driver has his Covid test checked at a motorway near Shanghai

According to official data, over 12% of China's clothing production is in the province of Jiangsu.

Although many factories remained open, transport problems have affected exports. More than 100 toll booths were closed in April due to Covid restrictions.

To date, we have managed to keep any disruption to a minimum, according to a spokesman for Primark.

According to the Office for National Statistics, the price of clothing and footwear in the UK rose 9.7% in the year to March 2022.

China is a major producer of chemicals used around the world, and major global chemical manufacturers have plants in the Shanghai area.

bleach is one of the most used chemicals in the UK, and they represent the fifth biggest category of imports from China.

Some of the major industry players have said they have been able to keep factories open, but they are not always operating at full capacity.

In April, the prices of home care products from the company were increased by 12.5%.

The costs of raw materials are at their highest in a decade, but so far there has been little impact from the Chinese government's actions.

The supply chain is used to dealing with disruption.