Following Trump, Biden Administration Also Says "Netherlands Cannot Export Semiconductors to China"

President Joe Biden of the United States [Photo by Reuters]

[Asia Economy Reporter Song Seung-seop] It has been identified that the U.S. government has been restricting the export of key equipment to China from the Netherlands.

According to the Wall Street Journal on the 18th, the Biden administration has demanded the Netherlands to limit exports to China immediately upon taking office, citing national security concerns. Jake Sullivan, White House National Security Advisor, is also known to have raised the issue within a month of the administration's launch, emphasizing "close cooperation on advanced technology."

The items restricted by the U.S. are advanced lithography equipment produced by the Dutch company ASML. This product is the world's only production equipment capable of engraving extremely fine circuits below 5 nanometers (nm). China is pushing to import ASML lithography equipment to secure the competitiveness of its domestic semiconductor manufacturers.

The Biden administration is interpreted to be continuing the policy of the previous Donald Trump administration to block China's "semiconductor rise." In 2019, Charles Kupperman, Deputy National Security Advisor of the Trump administration, invited Dutch diplomats to the White House and pressured them by saying, "Good allies do not sell such equipment to China."

However, the Biden administration does not consider pressuring the Netherlands to ban exports but intends to cooperate with Western allies to coordinate export restrictions.

ASML expressed concerns that regulations could slow innovation across the industry. Peter Wennink, CEO of ASML, warned, "Even in the short term, it could worsen the global semiconductor supply chain issues."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.