China has banned exports to Japan of dual-use goods for military purposes. The move comes at a time of heightened tensions between Beijing and Tokyo.

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

China sought to reassure Japanese businesses that its latest export controls are narrowly targeted, saying that civilian use will remain unaffected by curbs intended to limit military applications.

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

Japan and China agreed in June 2008 to cooperate over oil and gas resources in the East China Sea, but negotiations came to a halt two years later due to rising tensions between the two countries.

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.

China has escalated its offensive against Japan by designating it a "potential nuclear threat" that endangers world peace. The Chinese Association for Arms Control and Disarmament (CACDA), under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs,