The problem stems mainly from an electricity crisis,

during which more than 20 provinces have experienced

power cuts.
More than half of the country's electricity comes from coal, which has risen in price
worldwide. These costs can't be passed on to Chinese consumers because of a strict price cap, so
energy companies are reducing output.
Coal production has also been hit by new safety checks at mines, stricter environmental rules
and recent flooding, says Dr Meidan.
It means that even as demand for Chinese goods surges, factories have been asked to reduce
energy use or close on some days.
 Why China has been hit by power shortages
US: Toys and toilet paper
At Christmas, "there will be things that people can't get", a White House official has warned.
Stocks of toys will be affected, as could staples such as toilet paper and bottled water, new
clothes and pet food.
Part of the problem is a bottleneck at US ports. Four out of 10 shipping containers entering the
US come through just two ports - in Los Angeles and Long Beach, California.
On one day in September, a record 73 ships were forced to queue outside Los Angeles port.
Before Covid, it was unusual for more than one to be waiting.
Both ports have now moved to a 24/7 operation to help ease the pressures.
 Why are so many ships queuing to get to the US?
IMAGE SOURCE,GETTY IMAGES
Image caption,There could be shortages of toys during the holiday season
In some cases, shortages have also been caused by ongoing Covid-related problems in other
countries.
American sportswear giant Nike, for example, makes many of its products in southeast Asian
countries such as Vietnam, where factories have been closed.
Even when goods are produced, delivering them to retailers has become more difficult, says
Prof Willy Shih of Harvard Business School.
There has been a surge in spending by US consumers, but disruption at factories, ports and
"overloaded" road and rail networks have created a bottleneck, he says.
India: Cars and computer chips
India's biggest car manufacturer, Maruti Suzuki, has seen production plummet, partly because
of a global shortage of computer chips.
These chips manage features such as engine supply and emergency braking.
The shortage has been driven by pandemic-related disruption in countries such as Japan and
South Korea.
Global demand for the chips - which are also used in phones and computers - was already rising
before the pandemic, because of the adoption of 5G technology. The shift to home-working led
to another rise in demand, as people needed work laptops or webcams.