01:33 PM EDT, 03/21/2024 (MT Newswires) -- Semiconductor Manufacturing International, or SMIC, "potentially" violated US export regulations if the Chinese chipmaker produced a chip for sanctioned technology company Huawei Technologies, a US Commerce Department official said Thursday during a congressional hearing, according to media reports.

Asked by Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul whether SMIC broke US rules, Under Secretary of Commerce for Industry and Security Alan Estevez said, "potentially, yes. We will have to assess," Reuters reported.

"We'll assume that it was SMIC," Estevez was quoted by Bloomberg as saying.

The official told lawmakers that he "can't talk about any investigations that may or may not be going," according to the reports.

SMIC and Huawei didn't immediately respond to requests for comment from MT Newswires.