Beijing, 29 May 2023 (TDI): According to a statement from China’s Commerce Ministry today, Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao urged Japan to correct its wrongdoing on chip export controls.
Wang commented during talks with Japan’s economy and trade minister on May 26 at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation conference.
Last month, China showed concern about Japan’s semiconductor export controls as well and urged it to rectify its actions.
A spokesperson for the ministry said in a press release that Japan’s intention to enforce export restrictions on 23 specific types of equipment used in semiconductor manufacturing is seen as a significant breach of the World Trade Organization (WTO) guidelines and has the potential to disrupt the stability of global supply chains.
Therefore, if Japan disrupts semiconductor cooperation, China will take decisive action to protect its legitimate rights, adding that China has lodged a complaint with the WTO against Japan regarding its export control measures.
Such acts of Japan are taken as “acts of deliberate deterrence against China” and harm the legitimate rights of Chinese companies along with incurring losses for Japanese firms and destabilising the global supply chains.
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Therefore, the spokesperson called on Japan to listen to rational voices and promptly rectify its mistakes to safeguard the interests of both China and Japan since it has been seeking domestic opinions on its planned export restrictions.