Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang called on Japan to reject the U.S.’s efforts to restrict China’s semiconductor industry. Qin stated that the U.S. used “bullying tactics” against Japan’s semiconductor industry and is doing the same to China. He urged Japan not to assist the U.S. in its efforts and said that China would be inspired to continue striving towards self-sufficiency in the face of the embargo.
Semiconductors are critical components in a variety of products, including home appliances, consumer electronics, and military equipment, and have become the focus of a technological power struggle between the U.S. and China. Last year, the U.S. Department of Commerce introduced rules designed to prevent China from obtaining or producing advanced chips, which could hamper the domestic semiconductor ambitions of the world’s second-largest economy. The U.S. needs the participation of other key nations in the semiconductor supply chain, including Japan, South Korea, and the Netherlands, for its restrictions to be successful.
China’s Foreign Minister, Qin Gang, has urged Japan not to support the US sanctions on China’s semiconductor industry, stating that Japan should not help the US because of the pain they faced earlier from similar US measures against Japan’s semiconductor industry. Japan is a crucial part of the semiconductor supply chain, with major companies like Sony and Tokyo Electron.
While Japan has imposed export restrictions on some semiconductor manufacturing equipment, it has not specifically named China. The Netherlands, where one of the critical semiconductor companies ASML is based, has also announced export limitations on “advanced” chip manufacturing equipment. These countries are still trying to maintain trade ties with China despite putting some export restrictions in place. China’s tensions with Japan are high due to Japan’s military buildup, and Hayashi has urged China to release a Japanese national detained in Beijing.
