Japanese officials have nothing to say yet amid recent announcements by Dutch authorities about the need to introduce additional restrictions on chipmaking equipment shipments abroad, the agency noted. Bloomberg. Japan and the Netherlands, according to US authorities, should have supported US sanctions against China in this area, but the lawmakers of the first of the countries have not yet prepared a corresponding basis.
Image source: ASML
This week it was announced that by the summer of this year, the Netherlands will enshrine in law export restrictions on the supply of certain types of equipment using deep ultraviolet lithography to unreliable countries. Certain suppliers working with China may still qualify to ship such equipment, but must obtain a special export license in the Netherlands.
Japanese Trade Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura said at a regular news conference on Thursday: “We will examine the appropriate measures in the light of what is happening in the Netherlands. It is our understanding that the statements made by the authorities are not directed against any particular country.”. In late January, it was reported that the Japanese authorities expressed their agreement in principle to join the restrictions imposed by the United States and the Netherlands aimed at curbing China’s military potential and developing the Celestial Empire’s national semiconductor industry.
Japan’s largest supplier of lithography equipment, Tokyo Electron, is 26% dependent on the Chinese market, and all local companies combined until recently generated up to a third of all revenue from equipment sales to Chinese customers. According to Bloomberg, Dutch Foreign Trade Minister Liesje Schreinemacher had to apologize yesterday: “This is a country-neutral policy, this is by no means a ban on deliveries to China”. As she explained, advanced devices that would require an export license to enter China would go through exactly the same process if shipped to another country. The Dutch authorities examine applications on a case-by-case basis and interrupt the supply of equipment in cases where it can be used for military purposes or endanger national security.
Add Comment