The Taiwan Affairs Office of the People's Republic of China expressed its concern on Wednesday regarding a directive issued by the United States to Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC). As reported by Reuters, the directive instructs TSMC to cease shipments of advanced semiconductor chips to specific Chinese clients. The Taiwan Affairs Office views this action as a deliberate attempt by the United States to heighten tensions in the Taiwan Strait by exploiting the Taiwan issue.

Zhu Fenglian, the spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office, suggested that the United States' actions regarding Taiwan could potentially escalate the situation and adversely affect the interests of Taiwanese businesses. These remarks were made during a press conference in response to recent reports.

This marks the first official reaction from China following Reuters' report on Sunday regarding the U.S. order to TSMC. According to a source familiar with the situation, TSMC began halting shipments on Monday.

The chips in question are frequently utilized in artificial intelligence applications, coinciding with growing concerns among both Republican and Democratic lawmakers about the effectiveness of export controls on China and the enforcement actions taken by the Commerce Department.

Recently, TSMC notified the U.S. Department of Commerce that one of its microchips had been found in a Huawei AI processor.

Huawei, the Chinese technology corporation at the heart of U.S. actions, is on a restricted trade list, requiring suppliers to obtain licenses before shipping any products or technologies to the company.