New Delhi: China Monday imposed stricter export restrictions on multiple Japanese companies and research institutions, in a continuation of Beijing’s ongoing economic coercion following Japan PM Sanae Takaichi’s statement on Taiwan last year.
Takaichi last year said that if China employs a naval blockade against Taiwan, it could become a “survival-threatening situation” for Japan, compelling it to mobilise its Self-Defense Forces, particularly if US forces intervening to protect Taiwan come under attack.Beijing’s Commerce Ministry, Monday, added subsidiaries of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Mitsubishi Electric, along with several government-affiliated research organisations, including the National Institute for Defense Studies, to its export control list.
“Japan has stepped up its push for neo-militarism, accelerated remilitarization, deployed offensive weapons and launched offensive missiles outside its territory. In light of the above, China has decided to include relevant Japanese entities on the export control list and watch list in accordance with the Export Control Law and the regulations on export control of dual-use items and other relevant laws and regulations”, China said in a statement.The designation bars Chinese companies from supplying the blacklisted entities with dual-use goods, that is, products with both civilian and military applications. This ban also prohibits foreign firms from re-exporting Chinese-origin dual-use items to them.Dual-use products covered by the control laws include rare earth materials, industrial machine tools, batteries and semiconductor manufacturing equipment. The latest measures are part of Beijing’s widening use of trade restrictions as a foreign policy tool.In a parallel move, the ministry placed another 20 Japanese companies and organisations on an export watchlist, subjecting future transactions involving sensitive technologies to heightened scrutiny. The list includes subsidiaries of Fujitsu, Hitachi, Komatsu, Mitsui E&S and drone maker Terra Drone, WSJ reported.What is behind China’s restriction
