With US focused on Venezuela, China has window to pressure Japan: analysts
Beijing’s trade actions raise stakes with Tokyo, as China’s rare earth power and Japan’s chip dominance are seen as potentially key levers in their bilateral dispute
Beijing is leveraging a distracted Washington to ratchet up pressure on Tokyo, launching an anti-dumping investigation into a key semiconductor chemical while the United States is preoccupied with Venezuela, according to analysts.
With China holding leverage over rare earths, while Japan has a commanding market share in semiconductor equipment and materials, analysts say both sides are testing each other’s baselines to assess how far this economic tit-for-tat can go.
China might believe that the US is preoccupied with the western hemisphere and is not going to put pressure on China at the current juncture regarding Japan, she explained, adding that China is “clearly” targeting Japan.