Dutch Officials Will Discuss Semiconductor Controls On China With The U.S.

Dutch and US officials will meet in Washington on January 27th to discuss potential new controls on exporting semiconductor manufacturing gear to communist China, with a deal possible by the end of the month. The deal could be announced as soon as the same day if the two sides can reach a consensus on the details. But the source also added, any deal reached might not be announced immediately. Last October, the Biden administration published wide-ranging export controls, including measures tightly restricting CCP’s access to U.S. chip-making technology, to slow Beijing’s technological and military advances. Still, it has yet to convince key allies, most notably the Netherlands and Japan, to implement similar equipment curbs seen as essential to making the restrictions effective. The Netherlands is home to ASML Holding, the world’s leading maker of lithography equipment, which is critical for making semiconductors. The source said a central concern for negotiators is that even small supply chain changes could reignite a global chip shortage that has eased in recent months but created havoc in supply chains for the past two years.

Dutch officials are also adamant that the controls be tailored to national security concerns and not give the appearance that the United States is trying to favor its chip-making industry. The Dutch foreign ministry declined to comment, and U.S. officials did not respond immediately to a request for comment.