Explainer | How US-Japan-Netherlands agreement on chip export restrictions may play out in China

  • Under US pressure, the Netherlands has already banned ASML’s most advanced extreme ultraviolet lithography systems from shipping to China
  • Besides equipment, it is unknown whether materials such as high-end photoresists, a market dominated by Japanese suppliers, will be restricted

Che Panin Beijing
The ASML logo seen outside the company’s head office in Veldhoven, Netherlands. Photo: AP

Japan and the Netherlands have reportedly agreed to a US request to tighten their export controls of chip manufacturing equipment and technologies to China, although Washington, Tokyo and The Hague have not disclosed details of the deal.

According to a statement from ASML, the Dutch maker of lithography systems that plays a key role in the three-party attempt to contain China’s chip ambitions, the governmental agreement is not finalised, but will cover advanced chip manufacturing technology, “including but not limited to advanced lithography tools”.

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