China has launched two probes into the US semiconductor industry just before upcoming trade talks in Spain. The Ministry of Commerce announced an anti-dumping investigation into certain analog integrated circuit (IC) chips imported from the US, including commodity interface IC chips and gate driver IC chips commonly manufactured by Texas Instruments and ON Semiconductor.
Alongside the anti-dumping probe, China has initiated an anti-discrimination investigation examining US measures against China’s chip industry. This move comes as the US added 23 Chinese companies to an entity list facing restrictions for allegedly threatening national security and foreign policy interests.
Upcoming Madrid Trade Negotiations
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is scheduled to meet Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng in Madrid between Sunday and Wednesday. These meetings continue a series of negotiations aimed at easing trade tensions and delaying higher tariffs implementation on each other’s goods.
Previous discussions in this series were held in:
- Geneva (May)
- London (June)
- Stockholm (July)
- Madrid (upcoming)
Ongoing Semiconductor Dispute
A spokesperson for China’s commerce ministry stated that US measures like export curbs and tariffs constitute containment and suppression of China’s development in high-tech industries, including advanced computer chips and artificial intelligence.
US measures such as export curbs and tariffs constitute the containment and suppression of China’s development of high-tech industries like advanced computer chips and artificial intelligence (AI).
US Presidents Donald Trump and Joe Biden have imposed restrictions on China’s access to advanced semiconductors, including limits on chipmaking equipment sales. While Washington cites national security concerns, China argues these measures aim to curb its growth.
