China Foreign Ministry Dismisses SMIC-Iran Chip Allegations as 'False Information'

China's Foreign Ministry spokesperson dismissed as 'false information' the allegations by two US senior officials that SMIC supplied chipmaking equipment and technical training to Iran's military. The MFA spokesperson stated that China consistently opposes the use of export controls to suppress China's normal economic and technological development and urged the US to stop applying unilateral sanctions. SMIC, the Chinese Embassy in Washington, and Iran's UN mission did not comment independently. The US officials who made the allegations had not specified whether US-origin technology was involved — a key distinction determining whether a direct US sanctions violation occurred. The allegation, if confirmed, could expose SMIC to secondary sanctions that would restrict its access to chipmaking equipment from ASML, Tokyo Electron, and Applied Materials, potentially halting China's advanced semiconductor expansion.