"U.S. Investigates Article 301 of China's General-Use Semiconductor-Related Trade Act"

The New York Times reported that the Biden administration will investigate unfair trade practices against Chinese-made "legacy semiconductors" so-called general-purpose semiconductors used in automobiles and home appliances.

The trade association in Washington, D.C., said the Biden administration has decided to investigate general-purpose semiconductors made in China under Section 301 of the Trade Act.

The U.S. Department of Commerce's Industrial Security Administration pointed out that 66 percent of the companies surveyed may have used Chinese-made general-purpose semiconductors, raising concerns about excessive supply chain dependence and cyber threats.

In response, the U.S. Department of Commerce informed other government agencies of China's production of general-purpose semiconductors on the 21st of last month, and at that time proposed conducting a national security investigation under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act.

Section 301 of the Trade Act, which is in charge of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR), focuses on unfair or unreasonable transactions, and Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act, which is under the jurisdiction of the Department of Commerce, focuses on national security threats.