Ministers held talks on the sidelines of the APEC meeting. Export restrictions on gallium and germanium central topic.
China and Japan agreed to establish the necessary framework to discuss export control systems and practices in the two countries, Japan News reports. Ahead of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meeting in San Francisco, Japanese Economy, Trade, and Industry Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura and Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao discussed recent trade development. The politicians decided that officials from both countries will hold regular talks on trade at least once a year.
This is the first sign of easing tensions following the announcement from Beijing to restrict exports of the technology metals gallium and germanium earlier this year, followed by similar restrictions on the battery metal graphite. Additionally, China had cut imports of Japanese seafood significantly after the Japanese government announced releasing water from its Fukushima nuclear plant into the sea, which, despite being treated, still contains the radioactive hydrogen isotope tritium. The plan was greenlit by the UN’s atomic watchdog and the International Atomic Energy Agency. The Chinese response sparked outrage among Japanese fishers as China is Japan’s most significant seafood buyer. The implementations of talks on export controls and trade are aimed at preventing additional escalations.
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