China Urges Japan to Remove Relevant Chinese Entities from Export Control End-User List as Soon as Possible

The Chinese Ministry of Commerce announced on its official website on Sunday (November 2) that Minister Wang Wentao met with Japanese officials in Gyeongju, South Korea last week, calling on Japan to promptly remove relevant Chinese entities from its export control end-user list.

The Ministry stated that last Thursday (October 30) in Gyeongju, Wang Wentao met with Japan's Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Akazawa Ryosei, and the two sides exchanged views on China-Japan economic and trade relations and other issues. Wang Wentao said that unilateralism and protectionism are impacting the international economic and trade order, and both sides should move toward each other, make good use of mechanisms such as export control dialogue, and jointly maintain the stability and smoothness of the industrial and supply chains.

Wang Wentao also said that China urges Japan to promptly remove relevant Chinese entities from the export control end-user list. He expressed hope that both sides would jointly uphold the multilateral trading system with the WTO at its core, promote regional economic cooperation, and inject more stability into the world economy.

According to reports from Bloomberg and Kyodo News, Wang Wentao and Akazawa Ryosei met on the sidelines of the APEC meeting in South Korea. During the meeting, Akazawa Ryosei urged China to lift import restrictions on Japanese aquatic products.

After the meeting, Akazawa Ryosei told reporters, "Regarding China's implementation of export controls on rare earths, which have seriously affected the global supply chain including Japan, I expressed strong concerns. We strongly urge China to take appropriate measures."

Akazawa also said at the post-meeting press conference, "I hope that in the future we can have open and frank discussions on the difficult issues between the two countries, including some specific issues."