The Japanese government has called on China to withdraw sweeping export restrictions on dual-use products that supply Japan’s defense forces.
A notice issued by China’s Ministry of Commerce on January 6 bans the export of all dual-use products that Japan uses for military purposes.
China has not required covered substances, but experts believe restrictions could affect rare earth minerals.
Beijing’s export control list for dual-use products and technologies includes more than 1,000 items, including medium and heavy rare earth minerals, according to a Reuters report. These critical minerals; It is used in products such as batteries, wind turbines, computers and defense equipment including drones and missiles.
The Chinese ban also covers “end users and end-user manufacturers,” or firms and organizations that export or manufacture dual-use products from China for the purpose of building military products for Japan.
Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs called the move “unacceptable and extremely regrettable.”
The restrictions come as relations between Tokyo and Beijing deteriorate after Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s comments in early November about the Asian country’s potential response to a naval blockade of Taiwan sparked uproar in Beijing.
Chinese officials claimed that Takaichi’s statement violated the One China principle and was an indication of Japan’s interference in China’s internal affairs.
China temporarily embargoed the export of rare earth minerals to Japan in 2010, and the United States was blocked from access to some critical minerals in 2024. But the export ban was relaxed during trade negotiations with Washington late last year.
Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara told reporters on Jan. 7 that the government was still assessing the potential impact of the restriction on Japanese industries as the situation was “not clear at the moment.”
