The comments were made on Wednesday during a meeting with Japan’s ambassador, Hideo Tarumi, in Beijing.
In a commerce ministry statement on Thursday, Wang urged Japan to follow World Trade Organization rules to maintain stability of global supply chains.
Japan recently said it would restrict the chip equipment exports, aligning its technology trade controls with a US push to curb China’s ability to make advanced chips.
The two officials also exchanged views on a number of hot-button topics, including the arrest of Japanese nationals in China, the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) and the lifting of import restrictions on Japanese-made food as soon as possible.
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Last month, Japan unveiled plans to control exports of 23 items used to make semiconductors, following US pressure for countries to impose restrictions to contain China.The announcement came after the Netherlands implemented similar restrictions this month, prompting a rebuke from China. The Japanese measures aim to “prevent the military diversion of technologies”, trade minister Yasutoshi Nishimura told reporters.
Tensions are growing in the global microchip market, with Western officials raising the alarm over the provision of core components to increasingly adversarial trading partners.
The Dutch government announced its plans for new export rules following pressure from the United States to restrict Chinese access to the technology.
Japan had been expected to take similar steps with its ally Washington also reportedly urging the country to impose controls.
The trade ministry said the move was not targeted at any specific nation, however, with Nishimura saying Japan “intends to play a responsible role in the international community” as a country with advanced memory-chip technology.
The ministry will now solicit public opinion on the measures, which are expected to come into force from July.
About 10 major companies including Tokyo Electron and Nikon will be affected by the new measures, Jiji Press reported, citing unnamed government sources.
