The Dutch government plans to impose additional restrictions on the export of machinery that makes advanced processor chips, and vows to limit China’s access to the materials used to make such chips. It plans to join the pressure of the United States for the purpose.
THE HAGUE, Netherlands — The Dutch government announced Wednesday that it plans to impose additional restrictions on the export of machines that make advanced processor chips, citing materials used to make such chips. joined US pressure aimed at limiting China’s access to
The Dutch Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation, Riesche Schleinemach, has sent a letter to parliamentarians outlining the proposed restrictions.
“Given technological developments and the geopolitical situation, we have come to the conclusion that the government needs to expand existing export controls on certain semiconductor manufacturing equipment for (international) national security,” she said. is writing
Prime Minister Mark Rutte visited US President Joe Biden in January to discuss things like advanced chip machines made by Dutch company ASML.
Last October, the Biden administration imposed export controls limiting China’s access to advanced chips that it claims could be used to make weapons, violate human rights, and improve the speed and accuracy of military logistics. He urged allies such as Japan and the Netherlands to follow suit.
China has criticized the move for violating market principles in international trade.
The Biden administration is also seeking to tighten controls on some foreign investments by U.S. companies to limit China’s ability to acquire technology that could improve its military capabilities, according to U.S. officials familiar with the deliberations. There is
The expected action is the latest effort by the White House to target China’s military and tech sector at a time when relations between the world’s two largest economies are increasingly strained.
Headquartered in the southern Dutch town of Veldhoven, ASML is the only machine manufacturer in the world to manufacture advanced semiconductor chips using extreme ultraviolet lithography. The Dutch government has banned ASML from exporting some machines to China since his 2019, but the company still shipped low-quality lithography systems to China.
ASML has research and manufacturing centers in Beijing and Shenzhen, China, and regional headquarters in Hong Kong.
China was not mentioned in the Dutch minister’s letter to MPs.
It said the new export control measures were aimed at “very specific technologies in the semiconductor production cycle where the Netherlands is a unique leader, such as state-of-the-art deep ultraviolet (DUV) immersion lithography and deposition.”
The additional export control decisions were “made deliberately and as precisely as possible (surgically) to avoid unnecessary disruption of the value chain and take into account the international level playing field,” it added. rice field.
The government said it would publish the new regulations “before the summer.”
In a statement posted on its website, ASML said the new limits apply to “advanced deposition and immersion lithography tools.”
“These upcoming regulations will require ASML to apply for an export license to ship state-of-the-art immersion DUV systems,” the company said, adding, “Until these regulations are reflected in law and become effective. will take time,” he added.
Based on the announcement, the company said, “Based on the Dutch government’s licensing policy and our expectations of current market conditions, we expect these measures to have a material impact on our published financial outlook for 2023 or beyond. We do not anticipate the Term Scenario”.
