By Li Panpan

China has launched a trade dispute at the World Trade Organization against the United States over its chip export control measures on December 12, said a statement from China's Ministry of Commerce.

The ministry accused the US of taking "a typical practice of trade protectionism" in curbing the export of chip products to China on security grounds.

"In recent years, the US side has continuously overstretched the notion of national security, abused export control measures, hindered the normal international trade of chips and other products," the statement read.

"[That] threatened the stability of global supply chains and industrial chains, undermined the international economic and trade order, violated international economic and trade rules, defied basic economic laws, and harmed the interests of global peace and development."

China’s Ministry of Commerce said taking the dispute to the WTO was "necessary" to safeguard the country’s legitimate rights and interests.

"We hope that the US side will give up zero-sum game thinking, correct its wrong practices in a timely manner, stop disrupting the trade of hi-tech products such as chips, maintain normal economic and trade exchanges between China and the US," it said in its statement.