|
Wang Wentao met with South Korean Trade Minister Ahn Duk-geun on
the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC)
conference in Detroit, which ended on Friday.
They exchanged views on maintaining the stability of the
industrial supply chain and strengthening cooperation in
bilateral, regional and multilateral fields, according to a
statement from the Chinese Ministry of Commerce on Saturday.
Wang also said that China is willing to work with South Korea to
deepen trade ties and investment cooperation.
However, a South Korean statement on the same meeting did not
mention chips, instead saying the country's trade minister had
asked China to stabilise the supply of key raw materials, and
asked for a predictable business environment for South Korean
companies in China.
"The South Korean side expressed that communication is needed
between working-level officials over all industries", not just
for semiconductors, a source with knowledge of the matter told
Reuters. The source declined to be identified because they were
not authorised to speak to the media. South Korea is in the
crosshairs of a tit-for-tat row between the United States and
China over semiconductors.
China's cyberspace regulator said last week that Micron had
failed its network security review and that it would block
operators of key infrastructure from buying from the company.
The U.S. has pushed for countries to limit China's access to
advanced chips, citing a host of reasons including national
security.
About 40% South Korea's chip exports go to China, according to
trade ministry data, while U.S. technology and equipment are
necessary for South Korean chipmakers Samsung Electronics and SK
Hynix.
(Reporting by Ella Cao and Bernard Orr, and Joyce Lee in Soeul;
Editing by Kim Coghill)
[© 2023 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.]
This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content.
|
|
