By Gabby Chen

(JW Insights) Apr 5 -- China was seriously concerned about Japan's move to impose export restrictions on semiconductor manufacturing equipment and has filed a lawsuit with the World Trade Organization (WTO), China's Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) 's spokesman said in an article posted on its website on April 4.

According to a report by Reuters on March 31, Japan will restrict exports of 23 types of semiconductor manufacturing equipment, aligning its technology trade controls with a US push to curb China's ability to make advanced chips along with the Dutch government.

Japan is currently seeking public opinion on the restrictions. Therefore, China is calling on Japan to listen to rational voices, prioritize the maintenance of rules and bilateral interests, and take timely action to correct "wrong practices." Meanwhile, China will take decisive measures to safeguard its legitimate rights and interests if Japan continues to obstruct cooperation in semiconductor industry between the two countries, according to the spokesperson.

China is the world's largest semiconductor market and the largest export destination of Japanese semiconductor manufacturing equipment as well. The two countries have a closely integrated relationship between the upstream and downstream of the industrial chain, the spokesperson added.

The spokesman emphasized the highly globalized nature of the semiconductor industry, which has developed over decades to form a complex and intertwined network of market forces and corporate decisions.

However, the spokesperson condemned certain countries' frequent use of national security as a pretext for imposing export control measures to suppress China's semiconductor industry. These measures - cutting off supplies of key components, blocking technology, and splitting the global semiconductor market - not only violate the principles of free and multilateral trade but also undermine the stability of the global industrial and supply chains. The spokesperson asserted that such measures seriously violate the basic obligations stipulated by the WTO.

Japan's measures were essentially harmful acts against China, carried out under coercion by certain countries. Such measures would not only damage the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese companies but also cause Japanese companies to suffer losses and harm the stability of the global supply chain, the spokesperson noted.