BEIJING, Dec 3 (Reuters) - Washington's new curbs on

China's semiconductor industry are fanning fears that Beijing

could strike back, as trade tensions between the two largest

economies intensify.

Chinese authorities have vowed to take action to safeguard

the interests of their companies and the country has in recent

years amassed a series of tools that analysts say they can use

to retaliate against U.S. companies. Here are some of them:

SECURITY REVIEWS

Beijing's announcement in May last year that it would block

some government purchases from Micron after the U.S. memory chip

maker failed a security review is widely regarded as one of

China's first retaliatory moves in the U.S.-China chip war.

Concern has grown that U.S. tech giant Intel ( INTC ) could

be a future target, after the Cybersecurity Association of China

(CSAC) alleged the American firm had "constantly harmed" the

country's national security and interests and that its products

sold in China should be subject to a security review.

Intel ( INTC ) is one of the largest providers of chips used in

electronic devices including personal computers, and traditional

servers in data centres in China. It received over a quarter of

its total revenues from China last year.

Retaliatory action could also happen via other channels.

U.S. business chambers in China have in past years complained of

U.S. firms facing increased issues such as slower customs

clearance and more government inspections during times of

escalated tensions such as the U.S.-China trade war.

UNRELIABLE ENTITIES LIST

China in September announced that it would probe U.S. firm

PVH Corp ( PVH ), which owns fashion brands Tommy Hilfiger and

Calvin Klein, for "unjustly boycotting" Xinjiang cotton and

other products under the unreliable entity list (UEL) framework.

That was the first time Beijing had taken action against a

company for removing Xinjiang cotton from its supply chain to

comply with U.S. rules and one of the few times it had used the

UEL since the list's creation.

Beijing created the list during the first Trump presidency

and threatened to ban U.S. companies from importing, exporting

and investing in China.

To date the list has included U.S. companies involved in the

sale of arms to Taiwan such as Lockheed Martin ( LMT ) and RTX's

Raytheon Missiles & Defense.

EXPORT CONTROLS ON CRITICAL MINERALS

China dominates global mining and processing of rare earth

materials and since last year has imposed rules to regulate

their export.

In August, China imposed export limits on antimony, a

strategic metal used in military applications such as ammunition

and infrared missiles as well as in batteries and photovoltaic

equipment.

China issued new curbs on some graphite products that go

into electric vehicle batteries in October 2023, days after

Washington banned overseas subsidiaries of Chinese companies

from purchasing restricted semiconductors.

In July 2023, China announced restrictions on the export of

eight gallium and six germanium products, metals widely used in

chipmaking, citing national security interests.

DUAL-USE CURBS

China has recently expanded its oversight of dual-use items

- products that have both civilian and military applications -

with new export controls that come into effect on Dec. 1.

The new rules, first announced in September, create a

unified and simplified export control list, while also requiring

Chinese exporters of dual-use items to disclose details about

end users. That allows Beijing to better identify supply chain

dependencies on China within the U.S. military-industrial

complex.

The list is expected to cover a wide range of advanced

technologies where China is either leading or looking to become

a leading power, including chip technology, artificial

intelligence, quantum computing and drones.

Chinese sanctions on U.S. drone manufacturer Skydio this

year have cut its supply of batteries, according to the

Financial Times.

"As containment (of China) intensifies, more U.S.

industries, businesses and the entire economy will pay an

increasingly heavy price," state-owned outlet Global Times wrote

in an opinion article about Skydio earlier this month.