China imposes export restrictions on multiple Japanese companies

China Imposes Export Controls on Japanese Entities Over National Security Concerns

The Chinese Ministry of Commerce has added 20 organizations, including state-affiliated institutions and private companies, to its blacklist of entities barred from receiving dual-use items with potential military applications. The move is attributed to national security and non-proliferation concerns.

In addition, the ministry has also placed another 20 organizations on its watch list, requiring them to submit a risk assessment and written assurance that their exports will not contribute to Japan’s military capabilities. These entities include Mitsubishi Precision, MHI Logitech, and Kawajyu Gifu Manufacturing.

A Commerce Ministry spokesperson stated that the measures are “entirely legitimate, reasonable, and lawful” and do not affect normal China-Japan economic and trade exchanges. The spokesperson also noted that Japan has taken steps to accelerate its military capabilities, including deploying offensive weapons and launching missiles overseas.

Minoru Kihara, Japan’s chief cabinet secretary, has urged Beijing to revoke the measures, calling them “unacceptable”. This move is part of an ongoing feud between China and Japan over self-governing Taiwan. The two countries have a long history of tensions due to historical and territorial disputes.

In February, Beijing added 20 Japanese entities to its blacklist and 20 others to its monitoring list amid the escalating spat. Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has made national defense a priority of her administration, raising military spending to 2% of gross domestic product (GDP) and pushing to amend the pacifist clause of the country’s war-renouncing constitution.

Source: Al Jazeera