07/07/2023 (Agence Europe) – At a meeting at the World Trade Organization (WTO) on 6 and 7 July, the EU and six other WTO members expressed their concerns about the export restrictions imposed by Beijing on gallium and germanium (see EUROPE 13215/26). In response, the Chinese authorities said that its measure was not an export ban per se, but a control designed to “maintain the security and stability of supply chains”, which is a common international practice for dual-use goods, they added. The Chinese delegation also pointed to the export controls recently introduced by the United States, Japan and the Netherlands in the semi-conductor sector (see EUROPE 13139/2). These coordinated measures are becoming standard practice, according to Beijing. (LM)