Germany is considering limiting exports of some chemicals to China as part of a package of measures aimed at cutting off Asia’s access to goods and services needed to make advanced semiconductors. The move comes after Japan, the Netherlands and the United States imposed restrictions on the sale of machinery used to make computer chips to China.
Relations between Germany and China are currently in flux, with Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s government trying to balance national security interests and human rights concerns while supporting the economic interests of German companies in the Asian country.
In an interview last month, Habeck said the US is not pressuring Germany to reduce economic ties to China, but Berlin is trying to reduce the risk of German companies relying too much on the Asian economy. German companies are still big investors in China, although recently most of the investment has come from just a few companies.
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