China warns it will counter Japanese export controls
China warned it will ‘take necessary measures’ to counter the Japanese government’s recent announcement of export controls on over a dozen semiconductor-related items.
‘Japan’s new export controls will significantly disrupt normal business exchanges and harm enterprises in both countries,’ state-run Global Times reported an unidentified official of the Ministry of Commerce (‘MOFCOM’) as saying in a report published 3 April. Beijing customarily broadcasts official thinking through such reports in state media.
‘The semiconductor industry is highly globalised. Recently, certain countries have repeatedly generalised the concept of national security, abused export control measures, and imposed sanctions on China’s semiconductor sector-actions that severely threaten the stability of global semiconductor supply chains,’ the spokesperson said.
Last month, Japan expanded its export controls to include over a dozen semiconductor-related items, such as chip testing and manufacturing equipment, silicon wafers, and photoresists, with the restrictions scheduled to take effect at the end of May.
In 2023, Japan joined the United States and the Netherlands in an agreement to restrict the export of advanced semiconductor manufacturing equipment to China, targeting technologies critical for producing high-performance chips.
‘We urge Japan to exercise rational decision-making, promptly correct its misguided practices, and effectively protect the legitimate rights of all affected enterprises – including Chinese and Japanese firms – while maintaining global semiconductor supply chain stability,’ the MOFCOM spokesperson said.
