China warns against US export control bill, vows to 'firmly' safeguard its 'legitimate' rights

China on Saturday warned against a recently introduced package of export control legislation in the US House of Representatives that seeks to impose stricter export controls on the equipment used to manufacture cutting-edge chips, state news agency Xinhua reported.

The US House Foreign Affairs Committee passed the Multilateral Alignment of Technology Controls on Hardware, known as the MATCH Act, and several other export control bills, earlier this month.

Reiterating its opposition to the "over-extension of the concept of national security and the abuse of export controls," a spokesperson of the Chinese Commerce Ministry said if enacted, the relevant bills would seriously undermine the international economic and trade order and significantly disrupt the stability of global semiconductor industrial and supply chains.

"China will closely monitor the legislative process, carefully assess the impact on Chinese interests, and take resolute and necessary measures to firmly safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese enterprises," the spokesperson added.

US President Donald Trump is due to meet his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in May. The summit, initially scheduled for late March, was postponed because of the Iran war.

The US and China, the world two largest economies, remain at odds across a range of issues, including trade and Taiwan.