The Japanese press has reported that a Chinese firm has agreed to supply South Korean companies with hydrogen fluoride, a key material for manufacturing semiconductors that has been subject to recent export controls from Tokyo. On July 17, the Asahi Shimbun reported that a Chinese firm called Banghua Jituan, based in Shandong Province, took an order for hydrogen fluoride from a South Korean company. The article did not reveal the name of the South Korean company that put in the order. The photo shows working-level talks between South Korea and Japan regarding the export controls in Tokyo on July 12.