"Companies have been exporting related mature-process chip products to China at low prices, harming the legitimate interests of the domestic industry," Beijing's commerce ministry said in a statement.

Beijing said domestic firms had accused the US administration of President Joe Biden of having "provided substantial subsidies to the chip sector, giving US companies an unfair competitive advantage".

"The concerns of China's domestic industry are reasonable, and they have the right to request a trade remedy investigation," a ministry spokesperson said.

Beijing did not say when the probe would be launched, nor how long it would take.

But its launch comes a day after the United States unveiled further export controls on advanced computing semiconductors, increasing due diligence requirements for businesses as it seeks to prevent diversion of tech to China despite existing restrictions.

The move also followed US officials announcing fresh curbs on AI chip exports, seeking to make it harder for Beijing to access the advanced technology.

Thursday's probe focuses on US exports of "mature" semiconductors, also known as "legacy" chips.

While cutting-edge chips are typically used in critical technologies with sensitive military and defence uses, "legacy" chips are used in household items like broadband and medical devices, according to the CSIS think tank.