China's Export Bans on Key Minerals Escalate US Trade Tensions

The US has excluded some of China's largest semiconductor companies, including ChangXin Memory Technologies, from its latest chip export restrictions due to opposition from Japan. The US Commerce Department imposed a ban on 24 types of chipmaking equipment and added 140 Chinese companies to the Entity List, but Japan's influence, as a major supplier to these firms, led to the omission of certain companies. This reflects the pressure on the US from allies like Japan and the Netherlands, who are key players in the chipmaking industry.