China urges Japan to refrain from joining US chip curbs

BLOOMBERG

China’s Foreign Minister Qin Gang urged Japan to refrain from supporting US efforts to suppress the Chinese semiconductor industry, while his counterpart pressed for the swift return of a Japanese citizen detained by Beijing.
During a meeting with his Japanese counterpart Yoshimasa Hayashi in Beijing, Qin said a chip blockade will only strengthen Beijing’s resolve to achieve self-reliance, according to a Foreign Ministry statement.
“In the past, the US ruthlessly suppressed the Japanese semiconductor industry, but now it is repeating its old tactics towards China,” Qin said, according to the statement. “Don’t do to others what you don’t want others to do to you.”
He added that China looks forward to working together for better bilateral relations, according to a Chinese Foreign Ministry statement.
Hayashi’s visit to China’s capital is the first such trip by a top Tokyo diplomat in more than three years. It comes after China condemned Japan’s introduction of restrictions on exports of 23 types of leading-edge chipmaking technologies. Japan tightened trade controls as its ally, the US, ratchets up efforts to limit Chinese access to key semiconductor knowhow.
Ties between Beijing and Tokyo have frayed in recent years as Japan joined US-led moves to counter China’s regional influence through institutions such as the Quad group, which includes Australia and India. Nonetheless, Japan has sought to maintain stable relations with its biggest trading partner.