WASHINGTON, April 21 (Reuters) - The chip powering the

Mate 60 Pro phone of sanctioned Chinese company Huawei is not as

advanced as American chips, U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina

Raimondo said on Sunday, arguing that it shows U.S. curbs on

shipments to the telecoms equipment giant are working.

Huawei, which has been on a trade restriction list since

2019, surprised the industry and the U.S. government when it

released a new phone powered by a sophisticated chip last

August. The Huawei Mate 60 Pro was seen as a symbol of China's

technological resurgence despite Washington's ongoing efforts to

cripple its capacity to produce advanced semiconductors.

It was also seen by many as a slight for Raimondo, who was

visiting China when it was released. But in an interview with

CBS News' "60 Minutes," Raimondo pushed back against that view.

"What it tells me is the export controls are working because

that chip is not nearly as good, ... it's years behind what we

have in the United States, she said. "We have the most

sophisticated semiconductors in the world. China doesn't."

Washington has been locked in a years-long effort to deprive

Beijing of advanced semiconductor chips and the tools needed to

make them over concerns they would be used to strengthen China's

military capabilities.

Huawei, a symbol of that tech war, was added to the

so-called entity-list in 2019 amid fears it could spy on

Americans, forcing its U.S. suppliers to seek a

difficult-to-obtain license to ship to it.

But its suppliers, including Intel ( INTC ), have received

licenses worth billions of dollars to keep selling to the

company. Huawei's revelation of its first AI-enabled laptop

powered by an Intel ( INTC ) chip this month has fueled anger among

Republican China hardliners.

When asked if she was tough enough on big business, Raimondo

was emphatic.

"I hold businesses accountable as much as anyone," she told

Lesley Stahl on "60 Minutes." "When I tell them they can't sell

their semiconductors to China, they don't love that, but I do

that," she added.

The Huawei phone also prompted a review by the Biden

administration to learn the details behind the chip that powers

it, the most advanced semiconductor China has so far produced.

But details of the review have been scant.