China’s semiconductor industry fears Japanese curbs on exports of crucial chipmaking equipment will be so broad that they risk hitting its production of lower-grade silicon, used in everything from cars to washing machines.
Tokyo has said it intends to put restrictions on exports of 23 types of crucial chipmaking equipment from July, as it aligns itself with the US and the Netherlands in implementing sweeping export controls that could limit China’s access to cutting-edge chips.
However, Chinese industry executives who have examined the fine print of the intended rules say they could potentially go further than the US in restricting China’s ability to make semiconductors.