China is pushing back against Dutch restrictions limiting its access to advanced semiconductor tech.
The Netherlands joined the US and Japan in limiting China’s access to advanced chipmaking tech. The Netherlands is home to ASML, the only company in the world that produces machines using extreme ultraviolet lithography (EUV) to etch circuits onto chips. The lack of access to ASML machines is hurting China’s ability to keep up with the West’s semiconductors.
According to AP News, China’s foreign minister used a joint news conference to pressure his Dutch counterpart:
“As for the issue of lithography machines, China has serious concerns about this,” Qin Gang said at the conference. “We should work together to jointly protect the normal trade order between us, the international trade rules and to jointly keep the global industrial and supply chains stable.”
“We have shared our national security concerns,” said the Dutch minister, Wopke Hoekstra. “I’ve, of course, clearly listened to his, and this is typically an issue where we will continue our dialogue.”
Countries have grown increasingly worried about China’s surveillance efforts, concerns that Qin said were overblown and amplified by “intelligence departments.”
“Then their accusations are being exaggerated by the media,” Qin said. “The result is that it erodes the popular support for the friendship between our two countries.”
Qin Gang’s commentary underscores reports that China’s semiconductor industry is on the verge of collapse as a result of Western sanctions.
