Washington's probe into Chinese chips questioned

The U.S. probe into Chinese chips is highly questionable for several reasons:

1. Unfair competition and protectionism

   Market distortion: The U.S. measures are often seen as attempts to protect its own domestic chip industry from the rising competitiveness of China. By imposing restrictions and investigations on Chinese chips, it disrupts the normal market competition order. For example, U.S. restrictions on chip exports to China limit Chinese companies' access to advanced semiconductor technologies and products, which not only affects Chinese companies but also disrupts the global supply chain in which many international companies are involved.
   Violation of free trade principles: Free trade is supposed to promote the flow of goods and technologies based on market rules. The U.S. probe into Chinese chips goes against these principles, as it uses non market based means such as export controls and trade restrictions to target Chinese chip related enterprises.

2. Lack of solid evidence for so called "security threats"

   Unsubstantiated claims: The U.S. often cites "national security threats" as the reason for its probe into Chinese chips. However, in most cases, there is no real evidence to support these claims. Chinese chip companies are mainly engaged in commercial activities, aiming to meet the growing demand for chips in various fields at home and abroad, including consumer electronics, telecommunications, and the Internet of Things.
   Political manipulation: It is suspected that the U.S. is using the so called chip "security issue" as a political tool to suppress China's technological development. This is part of the broader U.S. China strategic competition, where technology has become a key battlefield for the U.S. to maintain its global hegemony.

3. Negative impacts on global cooperation and innovation

   Hindering global supply chain: The semiconductor industry has a highly globalized supply chain. The U.S. probe into Chinese chips disrupts the normal cooperation among different links in the global supply chain. Many Chinese based chip companies have cooperation with international suppliers, customers, and research institutions. Restrictions imposed by the U.S. will not only affect the development of Chinese chip companies but also cause losses to their international partners.
   Slowing down innovation: Innovation in the chip field often requires international cooperation and the exchange of ideas and technologies. The U.S. restrictions will limit the communication and cooperation OPPOrtunities between Chinese and American chip related entities, which is not conducive to the overall progress of global chip technology innovation.