According to a ministry statement, Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao labeled Japan’s semiconductor export limits “wrongdoing” that “seriously violated” international economic and trade laws on Monday.
China condemned export restrictions again on May 26 during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meeting in Detroit during Wang’s talks with Japanese Trade Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura.
In January, Japan and the Netherlands agreed to replicate U.S. export curbs on chipmaking equipment to China, restricting 23 types of semiconductor manufacturing equipment.
US restricted China’s supercomputer research to prevent it from developing nuclear weapons and AI systems.
Japan has not singled out China in its export control pronouncements, instead noting that it is fulfilling its international peace and stability obligations.
The Chinese commerce ministry declared on Monday that China “is willing to work with Japan to promote practical cooperation in key economic and trade areas.”
On Friday, Nishimura and U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo agreed to collaborate on quantum computation and artificial intelligence chip research.
Wang met with Raimondo and U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai during the conference and denounced U.S. economic and trade policies against China, especially the U.S.-led Indo-Pacific Economic Framework, which excludes China and wants to replace its dominance.
The US, Japan, and other G7 nations agreed to “de-risk” but not decouple from China this month, lowering their exposure to the world’s second-largest economy in electronics and minerals.