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China has voiced its opposition to the perceived discriminatory actions of the US towards Chinese firms.

After the US Commerce Department raised concerns that a chip used in Huawei’s recently released Mate 60 Pro phone might be violating trade restrictions, China expressed its firm disapproval of the situation. The issue stems from suspicions that the phone’s chip, suspected to have been developed through a notable advancement by the Chinese chip foundry, Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp (SMIC), might have utilized US technology in its creation. The department has embarked on a mission to gather detailed information “on the character and composition” of the controversial chip to confirm if any trade norms were breached.

This development did not sit well with the Chinese authorities, who viewed this as an act of “discrimination” against their companies. In response to the US stance, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning stated that China staunchly “opposed the US generalizing the concept of national security,” a move that she believes fundamentally undermines the essence of free trade and the established norms governing international economic and trade activities.

Ning noted that such measures could potentially destabilize the global production and supply chain, affecting the concerned parties and the global market.

This comes as US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo expressed surprise and concern at a recent report suggesting Huawei’s ability to produce such advanced smartphones in high volumes. She stated the US currently needs more evidence supporting Huawei’s production capacity for these technologically advanced chips.