Taipei: China has imposed fresh export restrictions on 40 Japanese companies, accusing them of contributing to Japan's "remilitarisation" as tensions between Beijing and Tokyo continue to rise.
According to a statement issued by the Chinese Commerce Ministry on Monday, 20 Japanese companies, including several divisions of Mitsubishi Corporation, have been added to an export control list. The move prohibits Chinese and foreign exporters from supplying them with dual-use goods manufactured in China. Dual-use products are items that can have both civilian and military applications.
Another 20 Japanese entities have been placed on a watch list for dual-use goods. The list includes subsidiaries of Fujitsu and Komatsu, as well as ship engine manufacturer Mitsui E&S.
Chinese exporters supplying companies on the watch list will now be required to obtain special licences, submit risk assessment reports and provide written assurances that the exported goods will not be used for military purposes.
"China's measures are entirely justified, reasonable and lawful. They are aimed at firmly deterring Japan's reckless pursuit of new militarism", the Chinese Commerce Ministry said.
"We hope Japan will recognise its mistakes, reverse its wrongful course, genuinely reflect on its past and return to the right track", the ministry added.
Relations between China and Japan have become increasingly strained since Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi suggested last year that Japan could intervene if China were to use military force against Taiwan, the self-governed island that Beijing claims as its own territory.
The Japanese government has also accelerated efforts to strengthen the country's defence capabilities by deploying longer-range missiles to remote islands and easing restrictions on lethal weapons exports under a revised security policy. Japan is expected to update its defence and national security strategies by December, a move that could further increase its defence budget.
On Monday, the Japan Ground Self-Defence Force announced the deployment of a Type-12 missile launcher to the country's southernmost remote island of Minamitorishima, a move widely viewed as a response to China's expanding military activities in the Pacific.
China had already placed 20 Japanese companies on its export control list and another 20 on a watch list in February.
The Chinese Commerce Ministry said Japan had continued "down the wrong path" by accelerating remilitarisation, deploying offensive weapons and conducting missile activities instead of correcting its policies.
China has significantly increased military pressure on Taiwan in recent years and maintains that reunification with the island remains a priority, including by force if necessary.
Earlier this month, the Chinese Coast Guard conducted patrols east of Taiwan in what Chinese state media described as a "pointed warning" to Japan and the Philippines after the two countries announced plans to discuss maritime boundaries in waters claimed by Beijing.
Last week, the governments of the United Kingdom, Germany and France issued a rare joint statement condemning China's activities in waters east of Taiwan and reiterated their opposition to any unilateral attempt to change the status quo across the Taiwan Strait.
