In mini trade war between Japan and South Korea, China may be the winner

Japan's move to restrict exports of certain materials to South Korea only hurts the big players and helps Beijing

If there was ever a time for Japan and South Korea to engage in a supply-chain spat, this isn’t it.

Last week, Japan moved to restrict exports of materials used to make semiconductors and smartphone screens to its North Asian neighbor, citing grievances between the two countries dating back seven decades. The curbs threaten the flow of components that feeds the world's hunger for technology hardware. It may also hand Beijing a victory.

A US-China trade war and the concurrent technology cold war means that companies have started figuring out new ways to source production materials. We already know that manufacturers –