The Japanese government has cut off the "flesh" of Japanese companies. Overseas online reviews: Cooperating with the US "chip containment" strategy against China | Enterprise | United States

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida. Shen Jizhong

On July 24th, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning responded to a question about the Japanese government's recent official implementation of export controls on semiconductor manufacturing equipment at a regular press conference, stating that "Japan has disregarded China's serious concerns and insisted on introducing and implementing export control measures with clear targeting towards China. China is deeply dissatisfied and regretful, and has made solemn representations to Japan at different levels." Japan's export controls on semiconductor manufacturing equipment not only cater to the United States' wrong practices, but also make economic and trade issues more secure, which is not conducive to the healthy and stable development of Sino Japanese relations.

Japan's export control measures against semiconductor manufacturing equipment this time are artificially creating a new contradiction between China and Japan. Last year, China and Japan celebrated the 50th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic relations, and this year, the two countries will celebrate the 45th anniversary of the signing of a peace and friendship treaty. China Japan relations are at an important juncture. Given various factors such as historical issues between China and Japan, both sides should strive to properly manage old issues, avoid the emergence of new contradictions, and jointly promote the improvement and turnaround of bilateral relations. However, Japan has introduced export controls on semiconductor manufacturing equipment at this important juncture, which clearly creates new contradictions between China and Japan. This has also made Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's speech on July 22, expressing his hope to improve Sino Japanese relations, appear pale and hollow.

Japan's export control measures against semiconductor manufacturing equipment this time are clearly catering to the high-tech containment of the United States against China. Last October, the US government attempted to weaken China's ability to produce and even purchase the highest end chips through export controls. A recent article published by The New York Times about the US government's chip blockade action against China referred to the US move as "a form of war," stating that it was "essentially aimed at eradicating China's entire advanced technology ecosystem.". The United States not only tightens its own chip export controls against China, but also frequently puts pressure on Japan and the Netherlands to join the chip blockade against China. In January this year, the governments of Japan, the Netherlands, and the United States reached an agreement to implement new export controls and restrictions on Chinese semiconductor manufacturing. In March, Japan announced the revision of its Foreign Exchange and Foreign Trade Law, strengthening export controls on 23 types of high-performance semiconductor manufacturing equipment. In May, Japan introduced export control measures for semiconductor manufacturing equipment and decided to implement them from July 23rd. Although senior Japanese government officials, especially Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Yasumi Nishimura, have repeatedly claimed since January this year that strengthening export controls on semiconductor manufacturing equipment is not targeted at specific countries, Japan's step-by-step and planned approach to strengthening export controls is clearly catering to the will of the United States and willing to become a pawn in the US's "chip containment" against China. The Nihon Keizai Shimbun commented on July 24 that the official entry into force of Japan's export controls is in fact the same pace as that of the United States, which strengthened export controls on China last October.

To comply with the geopolitical strategy of the United States, the Japanese government is cutting the flesh of its own enterprises. China and Japan are not only geographically inseparable neighbors, but also mutually beneficial partners in the economic and trade fields, which is particularly reflected in the cooperation of the semiconductor industry between the two countries. China is the world's largest semiconductor market and also the largest buyer of Japanese semiconductor manufacturing equipment. According to the statistics of Japan's Ministry of Finance, in 2022, Japan's total exports of semiconductor manufacturing equipment will exceed 4 trillion yen, of which Chinese Mainland will account for about 30% of Japan's total exports, far exceeding South Korea and the United States. The Japanese government's decision to artificially weaken its ties with China in the semiconductor industry not only undermines the long-standing mutually beneficial cooperation pattern between the two countries, but also seriously damages the interests of Japanese semiconductors and related enterprises. Kyodo News Agency stated that although the companies involved in restricting the export of semiconductor manufacturing equipment have not been publicly disclosed, officials from the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry have revealed that they include 10 large Japanese companies, including Tokyo Electronics, Nikon, and Hitachi. Reuters cited an analysis by Keimoto Suzuki, director of Marubeni China Institute for Economic Research in Japan, stating that given the weak demand in Japan's domestic semiconductor market, the Japanese government's measures will have a negative impact on Japanese equipment manufacturers and harm the development of Japanese companies.

China and Japan share broad common interests, and their pragmatic cooperation has a solid foundation, strong complementarity, and great potential. It is entirely possible to achieve joint cooperation and mutual benefit. If the Japanese government really wants to "build a constructive and stable relationship between Japan and China" as Japanese Foreign Minister Lin Fangzheng has said, it should demonstrate sincerity and make independent and rational decisions, rather than going astray by acting as a scapegoat for the tiger and relying on its neighbors.

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