China hits out at US ‘coercion’ after Dutch move to curb chip gear exports

Commerce ministry calls on the Netherlands to ‘refrain from abusing export control measures’

It says Washington is trying to ‘artificially promote industry decoupling and disrupt the supply chain’

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China accused the US of “generalising the concept of national security and abusing export control measures, even at the expense of allies’ interests”. Photo: Reuters

Published: 7:00pm, 1 Jul 2023

Beijing has accused Washington of coercing other countries to curb semiconductor supplies to China after the Netherlands announced new restrictions on exports of some chip-making equipment.

China’s commerce ministry highlighted “multi-level and frequent communication and consultation on semiconductor export control issues” with the Dutch government in recent months and expressed “dissatisfaction” over its decision in a statement on Saturday.

It urged the Dutch government not to “hinder the normal cooperation and development of the semiconductor industry between the two countries”.

The Netherlands should also “refrain from abusing export control measures, effectively safeguard the common interests of Chinese and Dutch enterprises, so as to maintain the stability of the global semiconductor industry chain supply chain”, the statement said.

Under the new rules, Dutch company ASML will have to apply for a licence to ship its advanced machines to China. Photo: AP

The ministry also lashed out at Washington, claiming the US was seeking to coerce other countries to impose restrictions on China.