China launched two investigations targeting the US semiconductor sector ahead of planned talks between the two nations on trade and other issues.<\/p>\n
The Ministry of Commerce said in a\u00a0statement<\/a>\u00a0on Saturday that it\u2019s opened an anti-dumping probe relating to certain American-made analog IC chips, the sort of products sold by Texas Instruments<\/a> Inc. and Analog Devices<\/a> Inc. At the same time, the ministry also kicked off an anti-discrimination investigation into US moves against the Chinese chip sector, according to a separate\u00a0statement<\/a>.<\/p>\n The probes comes shortly after the US added 23 more China-based companies to its entity list, which imposes restrictions on businesses deemed to be \u201cacting contrary to the national security or foreign policy interests of the US.\u201d<\/p>\n China\u2019s public rebuke of US trade measures sets up a tense opening for a multi-day meeting between top officials on both sides. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is set to\u00a0meet<\/a>\u00a0with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng in Madrid to discuss trade, economic and national security issues. The talks come after months of back and forth on trade negotiations and a pause on the Trump administration\u2019s\u00a0elevated tariffs on China<\/a>\u00a0while the two sides seek to work out a mutually agreeable deal.<\/p>\n Read more:\u00a0Trump Extends China Truce for 90 Days, Averting Tariff Hike<\/a><\/p>\n Semiconductors have grown into a key ground of contestation, as the US has cut off China\u2019s access to the most advanced artificial intelligence accelerators and used the licensing of some less-powerful Nvidia<\/a> Corp. hardware as a bargaining chip \u2014 though Chinese officials have\u00a0pushed back<\/a>and expressed reservations about security risks.<\/p>\n The unsettled state of negotiations has also found expression in China recently making its first use of a so-called anti-circumvention investigation that led to anti-dumping duties on US optical fiber imports. That tool is expected to play a greater role in the future, according to state TV.<\/p>\n Read more: China Slams US for Imposing New Sanctions Ahead of Spain Talks<\/p>\n \u201cThe US has taken a series of prohibitions and restrictions against China in the field of integrated circuits over recent years, including 301 investigations and export control measures,\u201d a commerce ministry spokesperson said in another\u00a0statement<\/a>. \u201cThose protectionist practices are suspected of discrimination against China and are a containment and suppression of China\u2019s development of advanced computing chips and high-tech industries such as artificial intelligence.\u201d<\/p>\n Officials at the US Trade Representative and spokespeople for Texas Instruments and Analog Devices did not immediately respond to requests for comment.<\/p>\n Bessent and He\u2019s discussions will cover, among other matters, the status of ByteDance Ltd.\u2019s TikTok, a service that President Donald Trump has estimated could be worth\u00a0as much as $500 billion to the US<\/a>. TikTok has until next week to reach a deal to ensure it continues operations in the US, though such deadlines have already been extended several times this year. Efforts to combat money laundering will also be on the agenda, according to the US Treasury Department.<\/p>\n Read More:\u00a0China Begins Probe Into US Chip Grants, Alleged Dumping<\/a><\/p>\n