‘Don’t help a villain,' China urges Japan to not encourage US in tech bans

In a bilateral talk between the Chinese and the Japanese delegations, Beijing has urged Tokyo to not encourage the United States in their initiative to impose tech restrictions against China. On Sunday, Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang made these requests to the Japanese counterpart Yoshimasa Hayashi, during their bilateral talk in Beijing, South China Morning Post reported. During the talks, Gang even went on the describe the US as a “villain”.  Within the span of a few years, the United States has managed to ban American companies to export their tech components to several Chinese companies. Telecommunication giants like Huawei and ZTE are facing restrictions when it comes to their operations in the United States as well. 

Gang discouraged his Japanese counterpart to “help a villain (US) do evil” and stated that the United States, “used bullying tactics to brutally suppress the Japanese semiconductor industry, and now it is repeating its old tricks against China,” as per the report by the South China Morning Post. “Japan has suffered that pain, and should not help a villain do evil. The containment will only further stimulate China’s determination to become self-reliant,” Gang asserted. According to the Chinese news outlet, the meeting between the two diplomats came just days after Japan followed the American footsteps and stated that it would restrict semiconductor equipment exports from China.

The Japanese authorities announced that the restrictions will be imposed from July this year. The Chinese foreign minister reiterated the two countries should overcome their obstacles and animosities to move forward. “Peaceful coexistence and friendly cooperation are the only correct choices for China-Japan relations,” he said.

China warns Japan to stay away from Taiwan 

The Chinese foreign minister also warned Japan to not interfere in the Taiwan issue and urged Tokyo to properly handle the nuclear waste from the devastating Fukushima incident. With the Sunday visit, Hayashi became the first Japanese foreign minister to visit China in three years. During the talks, Hayashi called for the early release of Japanese nationals who were detained last month on suspicion of espionage. Hayashi also expressed Japan’s “serious concerns” about the Chinese coastguard vessel sailing near the Senkaku Islands. In the talk that lasted for four hours, the Japanese foreign minister also urged his Chinese counterpart to address the human rights issues in Hong Kong and Xinjiang, South China Morning Post reported.