TypeScript: `import x = A.x` syntax should always be converted to a var declaration

Author: chirsz-everCreated Apr 13, 2026Updated Aug 28, 2026

Example input code:

typescript

namespace A {
    export var x = 0;
}
import x = A.x;
console.log(x);

TypeScript 6.0.2 with "target": "ES2020" (playground):

javascript

"use strict";
var A;
(function (A) {
    A.x = 0;
})(A || (A = {}));
var x = A.x;
console.log(x);

esbuild 0.28.0 with --target=es2020 (playground):

javascript

var A;
((A2) => {
  A2.x = 0;
})(A || (A = {}));
const x = A.x;
console.log(x);

Source: evanw/esbuild