The Chinese Ministry of Commerce has included about 40 Japanese companies and institutions on the list of companies subject to export control. This measure is due to national security concerns, specifically due to potential links between these companies and the Japanese military.
The ministry imposed restrictions on exports to about 20 institutions, including Mitsubishi and the Japanese Aerospace Agency, accusing them of contributing to supporting and enhancing Japanese military capabilities.
The ministry also added 20 more Japanese entities, including Subaru, to a so-called “monitoring list,” which requires stricter scrutiny of exports of “dual-use goods.”
The Chinese Ministry of Commerce explained in a statement that these steps aim to limit Japanese “rearmament” projects and “nuclear ambitions,” stressing that they are “completely legitimate, reasonable and legal” measures.
The ministry also stressed that these measures target “only a limited number of Japanese entities (…) and dual-use goods, and do not affect normal trade exchanges between China and Japan,” adding that for honest and law-abiding Japanese companies, “there is no need to worry.”
This move comes in light of escalating Chinese pressure since Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaishi indicated in November the possibility of responding militarily to any potential Chinese attack targeting Taiwan.
