Huawei chip shows US curbs on China’s semiconductor are porous, not useless

A new smartphone from Huawei Technologies Co. has reignited debate over chip technology and China’s ability to skirt US-led curbs. In reality, last week’s release of the Mate 60 Pro shows that the success of sanctions is painted in shades of grey, with the true impact yet to come.

High-performance and fast connection speeds indicate that the sleek new device is equipped with 5G wireless capabilities and an advanced system-on-chip processor manufactured by Shanghai-based Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp. Testing by Bloomberg News shows the smartphone hitting speeds in excess of 350 megabits per second. That’s akin to fifth-generation mobile standards and is on par with Apple Inc.’s iPhones.