Source : INDIA TODAY NEWS
Japan has protested against new Chinese import controls on dichlorosilane, a key chemical used in making computer chips, and said it is studying the possible impact on Japanese companies.
China has said imports of the material from Japan violated anti-dumping rules and harmed its domestic industry. From Tuesday, importers of dichlorosilane from Japan must pay cash deposits to Chinese customs at rates of up to 99.2 per cent while an investigation continues.
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Beijing said the measure is provisional and that a final ruling will come later. The curbs apply to Japanese exporters including Shin-Etsu Chemical and Denal Silane.
In Tokyo, Japan’s top government spokesperson, Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara, lodged a protest against the controls and said Tokyo would “respond appropriately” to prevent unfair harm to Japanese companies.
China’s commerce ministry launched its anti-dumping investigation into Japanese dichlorosilane, also known as DCS, as part of a wider set of measures against Japan. Beijing has also imposed export controls on Japanese companies for dual-use items that can be used for military purposes.
Ties between China and Japan have been strained since November, when Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi angered Beijing by suggesting Japan’s military could intervene if China used military force on Taiwan, a self-ruled island that Beijing claims as its territory.
DCS is used in a chemical vapour process to apply thin layers of silicon, oxide and other films in logic and memory semiconductor chips. The global market for DCS is highly competitive, but Japan is the leading producer of ultrapure DCS used in computer chip manufacturing. Overall, Japan has objected to China’s provisional curbs, which raise costs for importers and could affect Japanese chemical exporters while Beijing’s investigation is under way.
With PTI Inputs
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SOURCE :- TIMES OF INDIA
