The United States believes that China’s advance in the semiconductor field is a threat to both national security and the market position of American companies. Washington has been passing increasingly severe trade restrictions against Chinese companies.

Under Joe Biden's direction, the US Trade Representative (USTR) launched a probe Monday into China's plans to globally dominate markets for legacy chips—alleging that China's unfair trade practices threaten US national security and could thwart US efforts to build up a domestic semiconductor supply chain.

The United States announced a probe looking at China's use of "extensive anti-competitive and non-market means" to dominate the global market for legacy "workhorse" semiconductors and its impact on the U.