2023-07-02 04:52:00
A spokesperson’s statement published on the website of the Ministry of Commerce of China regarding the Netherlands’ measures to restrict exports of semiconductor equipment. Screen capture of the website of the Ministry of Commerce of China
When the Netherlands tightened export restrictions on semiconductor equipment, China protested. China has been trying to prevent the Netherlands from joining the United States in controlling exports of semiconductors to China, but has failed to persuade them.
In a spokesperson’s statement posted on the website of the Chinese Ministry of Commerce on the 1st, “In recent months, China and the Netherlands have had multi-layered and frequent communication and negotiations on semiconductor export control issues, but the Netherlands eventually put related semiconductor equipment on the control list.” “The Chinese side expresses dissatisfaction with this,” he said. When the Netherlands joined the United States in controlling exports of semiconductors to China and strengthened export regulations on semiconductor equipment, the two countries were collectively criticized.
China’s Ministry of Commerce said, “In recent years, the United States has continued to expand its national security concept and abuse export control measures in order to maintain global hegemony.” It has seriously damaged the development of the global semiconductor industry by threatening it.” “The Dutch side must respect market principles and the spirit of contracts and ensure that relevant measures do not interfere with the normal cooperation and development of the semiconductor industry between the two countries,” he urged, “not to abuse export control measures.”
Previously, the Dutch government announced on the 30th of last month (local time) that it would implement measures requiring local semiconductor equipment companies to obtain permission from the authorities when exporting certain equipment from September. Since 2019, the Netherlands has banned the export of state-of-the-art extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography equipment produced by ASML, a local semiconductor equipment company, to China. In addition, exports of deep ultraviolet (DUV) lithography equipment, which is a technology product of the previous generation, will be regulated. Rischer Schreinermacher, Minister of Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation of the Netherlands, explained the reason behind the move as “for national security reasons.” “Uncontrolled exports of products and technologies might potentially pose a national security risk,” he said, noting that export-controlled equipment might have military applications. “Because the Netherlands has a leading position in this field, it has additional responsibilities in that regard,” he said, explaining that the measure is “country-neutral” and does not target any specific country.
However, for reasons of national security, the Netherlands’ additional export restrictions on semiconductor equipment are actually aimed at China, a previously announced measure. In a report sent to parliament in March, the Dutch government announced that it would introduce related regulations before summer, saying, “There is a need to expand existing export control regulations for certain semiconductor production equipment.”
Previously, it was reported that the Netherlands agreed with Japan in January to join the United States in controlling exports of semiconductor equipment to China. In response, China has tried to persuade the Netherlands not to participate in export controls, but to no avail. Chinese President Han Jeong visited the Netherlands in May and held talks with Prime Minister Mark Rutte, emphasizing the need to stabilize the global industrial chain and supply chain, and indirectly pressuring China not to participate in export controls.
1688295102
#China #opposes #Dutch #semiconductor #equipment #export #restrictions #U.S #threatens #protect #hegemony
