China Ramps Up Trade Pressures on Japan, Targeting Chipmaking Material

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Jan 8, 2026 - 10:55 Updated: Jan 8, 2026 - 02:52
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China Ramps Up Trade Pressures on Japan, Targeting Chipmaking Material

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The Chinese communist regime has opened an anti-dumping investigation into a vital raw material for semiconductor manufacturing from Japan, as tensions between the two major Asian powers continue to simmer over Taiwan.

The regime’s commerce ministry announced the probe on Jan. 7, saying it will focus on dichlorosilane, a chemical primarily used in thin-film deposition in the production of various types of semiconductors, including logic, memory, and analogue chips.

The ministry said the probe was initiated after Tangshan Sanfu Electronic Materials Co., a China-based electronic and chemical materials manufacturer, submitted a request on behalf of the domestic dichlorosilane industry last month.

The application alleged that between 2022 and 2024, imports of dichlorosilane from Japan showed a general upward trend, with prices declining by 31 percent cumulatively, causing damage to domestic industrial production and operations, a ministry spokesperson said in a separate statement.

Japan is the leading global supplier of dichlorosilane, with Shin-Etsu Chemical Co. the world’s largest producer, holding more than half of the global market share, according to the probe request filed by Tangshan Sanfu’s representatives and released by the Chinese commerce ministry.

Tokyo-based Shin-Etsu didn’t respond to an email request for comment by publication time.

The investigation is set to run for about a year but could be extended by another six months, according to the commerce ministry.

The move came a day after China banned companies from exporting items with both civilian and military applications to Japan if they could “help enhance Japan’s military capabilities.” In a Jan. 6 statement, a ministry spokesperson linked the export curbs to remarks the Japanese prime minister made about Taiwan last year.

In response, the Japanese government has lodged a formal protest to Chinese authorities.

Beijing’s measures only targeted Japan and “deviate significantly from international practice,” Masaaki Kanai, head of the Japanese foreign ministry’s Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau, told the Chinese Embassy’s deputy chief of mission, Shi Yong, on Jan. 6, according to his ministry.

The Japanese diplomat demanded the withdrawal of these measures, calling them “absolutely unacceptable and deeply regrettable.”

China’s commerce ministry did not provide details on which specific products are covered by the latest export ban. Still, this year’s dual-use export control list includes more than 1,000 items, ranging from raw chemicals to equipment used to produce aviation and space components.

Among the well-known restricted dual-use items are rare earths, a group of 17 metallic elements used in military equipment such as jets and submarines, as well as in various commercial products like electric vehicles and smartphones.

As the world’s largest rare earths producer, China has been slow-walking its supply of the critical metals since April last year, when it mandated companies to apply for special licenses to ship seven rare earth elements, along with related magnets and finished products.

State media China Daily reported on Jan. 6 that Beijing is considering a stricter review of export licenses for seven rare-earth-related items bound for Japan. The Epoch Times could not independently verify this claim.

Minoru Kihara, the Japanese government’s top spokesperson, told reporters on Jan. 7 that Tokyo is still analyzing how China’s new measures could affect Japanese industries and examining the potential impacts.

In a separate briefing in Beijing on Jan. 7, China’s foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning declined to comment when asked whether the latest export ban covers rare earths, telling reporters to ask “other relevant, competent authorities.”

Mao also reiterated the regime’s demand, calling on Japan to “confront the root cause of the issue” and retract Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s “erroneous remarks” on Taiwan.

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) views self-governed Taiwan as a breakaway province and has not ruled out the use of force to bring it under its rule.

Takaichi has rejected the CCP’s demand, saying her previous statement was consistent with Tokyo’s longstanding stance on Taiwan. In response to a parliamentary question in November 2025, Takaichi linked a naval blockade of Taiwan to a potential “survival-threatening situation” for Japan, a classification that might enable Japan to deploy its troops to intervene.

Japan is an island nation, its westernmost territory only 68 miles from Taiwan. It also hosts approximately 55,000 U.S. military personnel and several advanced aircraft.

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