China has harshly protested Japan’s new export restrictions on chip-making equipment, which went into force on Sunday.
against a press conference on Monday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning stated that the new Japanese restrictions were “clearly directed” against Beijing and that the Chinese government was “deeply dissatisfied.”
“China urges the Japanese side to bear in mind the overall interests of China-Japan economic and trade cooperation as well as its own long-term interests and refrain from abusing export control measures,” Mao added.
Beijing, according to the spokesperson, has frequently cautioned Tokyo against enacting measures that purportedly violate international economic and trade laws.
The export limitations were first disclosed in March as a draft modification to Japan’s Foreign Exchange and Foreign Trade Act. Following the implementation of the restrictions on Sunday, 23 chip-manufacturing items now require government approval for export. Among them are cleaning, inspection, and lithography equipment, which is required for the production of cutting-edge chips. Japan did not clearly name China as the primary objective of the restrictions.
The action is part of a larger push started by the United States last year to restrict China’s access to advanced chip manufacturing technologies.
Last October, Washington implemented a broad set of export regulations, including one that barred China from importing specific semiconductor chips manufactured with US equipment anywhere in the globe.
Since then, Washington has pushed important chip-making nations and allies like the Netherlands and Japan to follow suit and impose their own export limits.
In June, the Dutch government imposed export curbs, prohibiting sales of advanced chip-making machinery manufactured in the Netherlands to China.
According to the Global Times newspaper on Sunday, Chinese analysts have warned that Beijing will take any measures required to protect its own interests. According to the source, China has a number of responses at its disposal, including potential bans on the export of vital raw materials and limitations on international chipmakers.
