The Netherlands has raised concerns over proposed US legislation that could force allies to adopt Washington’s increasingly restrictive export controls on China, Reuters reports. During a visit to Washington, Dutch Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation Sjoerd Sjoerdsma met with US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and members of Congress to discuss the bipartisan Match Act, which aims to further limit China’s access to advanced semiconductor manufacturing technology.
The proposed Match Act would ban the export of all immersion DUV equipment to China, as well as further restrict servicing operations there. Currently, ASML’s export of this class of litho equipment to China is only partially restricted. The Match Act would also establish mechanisms to pressure partner countries into aligning with US export control policies.
While Sjoerdsma said the Netherlands shares US concerns about preventing sensitive technologies from reaching military end users, he warned against measures that could undermine Dutch sovereignty. “If cooperation becomes cooperation by force, that’s undesirable from our point of view,” he noted.
During the visit, Sjoerdsma also formalized Dutch participation in the Pax Silica alliance, a US-led initiative aimed at strengthening cooperation on AI and semiconductor supply chains among allied nations. The Dutch government signaled its intention to join at an early stage, but held off on signing until the EU got on board. Japan and South Korea have already joined the group, while Taiwan has expressed support.
