Netherlands won’t summarily agree to US export restrictions on China, trade minister says, despite ‘justified worries’
- New US export rules introduced in October ‘changes the playing field’, said Dutch Trade Minister Liesje Schreinemacher
- The Dutch government has denied ASML permission to ship its most advanced chip-making equipment to China since 2019, but it sold older machines
The top Dutch trade official said the Netherlands will not summarily accept new US restrictions on exporting chip-making technology to China, and is consulting with European and Asian allies.
Trade Minister Liesje Schreinemacher spoke on Sunday on the television show Buitenhof ahead of a visit to the US by Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte on Tuesday, when he is expected to discuss export policy with President Joe Biden.
The Netherlands’ largest company is ASML Holding, a key supplier to semiconductor equipment makers.
The Dutch government has denied ASML permission to ship its most advanced machines to China since 2019 following a pressure campaign by the Trump administration, but ASML did sell 2 billion euros worth of older machines to China in 2021.
The US in October adopted measures aimed at hobbling China’s ability to make its own chips, and US trade officials said at the time they expected the Netherlands and Japan to implement similar rules soon.
ASML has said that the US rules could impact roughly 5 per cent of its group sales.
Schreinemacher said the US had “justified worries” about over-reliance on Asia, where 80 per cent of advanced chips are made, and the threat that they could wind up in a military application or being used against the Netherlands.