Foreign media reported on April 27 that Germany may restrict the export of chemicals used to make semiconductors to China. The report quoted people familiar with the matter as saying that discussions on the matter are still at an early stage, "but officials involved in the talks realize that this move may damage commercial relations with Beijing." The report also said that German chemical companies Merck and BASF may be affected by export restrictions.
At the regular press conference of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China held on April 28, Mao Ning, spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said: “Economic and trade cooperation is mutually beneficial. China is an important market for global semiconductors. It is not constructive for some countries to impose export controls on China in the name of so-called "reduction of dependence". This will hurt the stability of the supply chain. China advises these countries to respect the laws of the market economy, proceed from the maintenance of rules and their own interests, and work with China to maintain the international economic and trade order and promote the construction of an open world economy.”
