China has escalated its trade tensions with Japan by launching an investigation into imported dichlorosilane, a chemical gas used in making semiconductors

China is opening an anti-dumping investigation into Japan over a chemical used in the manufacturing of semiconductors, it announced on Wednesday.

The country’s defence ministry accuses Japan of ‘brazenly exporting lethal weaponry’ Read more at The Business Times.

A week in which longtime tensions between neighbors China and Japan ratcheted up economically and politically is drawing to a close with no sign of improvements.

The Japanese public now sees China's growing military power as the country's leading security concern, overtaking the threat posed by North Korean nuclear missiles, a government survey released on Friday showed.

China’s access to Japan’s coveted industrial-use goods – especially a critical chipmaking ingredient – may face hurdles if Tokyo imposes export restrictions in the event of a prolonged political dispute, though trade is holding steady for now, analysts and a trade organisation said.

China’s warning to Japan that it could choke off supplies of rare earths, its favorite weapon in trade conflicts, targets a persistent vulnerability among Japanese manufacturers after more than a decade of Tokyo trying to reduce reliance on its rival.

Chinese and Russian warplanes have conducted joint exercises in the airspace near Japan, and Chinese ships have sailed close to disputed islands near Taiwan. China’s response has also included intense personal attacks on the Japanese prime minister, linking her with the militarism that fueled Japan’s brutal actions during World War II.