BEIJING, Sept. 13 (Xinhua) -- China's Ministry of Commerce on Saturday announced the launch of an anti-discrimination investigation into relevant U.S. measures targeting the country's integrated circuit sector, effective the same day.

According to the ministry's announcement, it has obtained preliminary evidence that the U.S. measures constitute prohibitive, restrictive or other like measures on a discriminatory basis under China's Foreign Trade Law. The investigation was initiated in accordance with the law.

China will take corresponding measures against the United States based on the actual situation following the probe, a spokesperson for the ministry said when responding to a media inquiry about the investigation.

China will take all necessary measures to defend the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese enterprises, said the spokesperson.

The spokesperson said that the United States has, in recent years, implemented a series of prohibitions and restrictions against China in the integrated circuit field, such as Section 301 investigations and export control measures.

These protectionist practices are suspected of discriminating against China and constitute the containment and suppression of China's development of high-tech industries such as advanced computing chips and artificial intelligence (AI), said the spokesperson.

They not only harm China's development interests but also seriously undermine the stability of the global semiconductor industrial and supply chains, the spokesperson added.

The probe will examine a range of U.S. policies. These include additional tariffs that have been or will be imposed on Chinese products, including integrated circuits, based on the Section 301 investigations since 2018, as well as other possible prohibitive, restrictive, or similar measures.

The investigation will also cover U.S. actions taken since 2022, such as the issuance of rules and notification letters, to restrict exports of integrated circuit-related products and manufacturing equipment to China and to limit the participation of U.S. persons in China's semiconductor projects.

Furthermore, the probe will look into how the U.S. CHIPS and Science Act and its related rules are used to restrict relevant companies and individuals from conducting economic, trade, and investment activities in related fields in China.

According to the ministry, the investigation will also cover U.S. government announcements and guidance from May 2025 that restrict the use of China's advanced computing integrated circuits, such as Huawei's Ascend chips, and limit U.S. AI chips from being used to train Chinese AI models.

The investigation is scheduled to last for three months, with a possible extension under special circumstances. ■