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China initiates comprehensive anti-discrimination investigation into US actions against China in IC sector

Global Times

By Global Times Published: Sep 13, 2025 09:08 PM

China's Ministry of Commerce on Saturday announced an anti-discrimination investigation into the relevant measures taken by the US against China in the field of integrated circuits, starting from September 13, 2025.

In accordance with Articles 7 and 36 of the Foreign Trade Law of the People's Republic of China, if any country or region adopts discriminatory prohibitions, restrictions, or other similar measures against China in trade, China may take corresponding measures against that country or region based on actual circumstances. The MOFCOM may initiate relevant investigations independently or jointly with other relevant departments of the State Council, the ministry said in a statement issued on Saturday.

Preliminary evidence and information obtained by MOFCOM indicate that the relevant measures adopted by the US against China's integrated circuit (IC) sector fall into the category of "discriminatory prohibitions, restrictions, or other similar measures against the People's Republic of China in trade" as specified in Article 7 of the Foreign Trade Law.

Based on Articles 36 and 37 of the Foreign Trade Law, the MOFCOM decided to launch an anti-discrimination investigation into the US measures against China's IC sector starting from September 13, 2025, the MOFCOM said in the statement.

In response to a question about the investigation, a spokesperson for the MOFCOM said on Saturday that in recent years, the US has adopted a series of prohibitions and restrictive measures against China in the IC sector, including Section 301 investigation measures and export control measures. These protectionist practices are suspected of being discriminatory against China and constitute suppression of China's development of high-tech industries such as advanced computing chips and artificial intelligence. They not only undermine China's development interests but also severely damage the stability of the global semiconductor industrial chain and supply chain. The Chinese side firmly opposes such practices, the spokesperson said.

According to the MOFCOM statement, this investigation will target US measures against China's IC sector, which may include the following: tariff hikes and related restrictions based on the results of the Section 301 investigation against China since 2018, restrictions of export of IC-related products and manufacturing equipment to China since 2022, restrictions prohibiting relevant enterprises and individuals from conducting economic, trade, and investment activities in relevant fields in China under the US' CHIPS and Science Act since 2022, and restrictions on the use of China's advanced computing ICs (including Huawei Ascend chips) and limiting the use of US artificial intelligence chips for training China's AI models in May 2025.

In addition, other discriminatory prohibitions, restrictions, or similar measures adopted by the US against China in all links of the IC sector (including design, manufacturing, packaging, testing, equipment, components, materials, and tools) as well as in specific application scenarios are also within the scope of this investigation, according to the statement.

In accordance with Article 37 of the Foreign Trade Law, the investigation may be conducted through methods such as written questionnaires, hearings, on-site investigations, and commissioned investigations.

The investigation period will normally last three months, and may be extended under special circumstances, it said.