Dutch Prime Minister Rutte did not give the green light to export lithography machines during his work visit to China, and he avoided a direct answer by claiming that the export controls were not aimed at a single country because of the sanctions imposed on China because of the United States' request. The Netherlands is the main player in the "chip war" against China promoted by the United States, because the Netherlands has a monopoly on EUV lithography machine technology for chip manufacturing, and at the same time controls most of the export market for DUV lithography machines. Now the United States has adopted the strategy of "chip war" to draw salaries from the bottom of the kettle, which is an action taken by the United States after China broke through the 7nm process technology, and the United States still does not give up suppressing China's chip industry.
Judging from the information disclosed by the U.S. media, U.S. Department of Commerce official Alan Esteves has publicly stated on the 27th that the United States is promoting restrictions on the maintenance of China's existing chip production equipment, that is, foreign suppliers are not allowed to maintain China's existing DUV lithography equipment, thereby limiting China's breakthrough in the field of chips. Regarding China's breakthrough in 7-nanometer chip technology, the U.S. Department of Commerce believes that China produces through equipment imported from abroad, and the United States believes that China's high-end chips still rely on Western equipment and technology, so there are sanctions to fill the loopholes.
In fact, the Netherlands has long banned the export of EUV lithography equipment and technology to China, and the DUV lithography machine exported to China is also a low-end chip product, but it has not been able to prevent China from making a breakthrough in the field of high-end chips. The United States has already released its wind in 2023, declaring that it will further sanction China to maintain the "national security" of the United States, and the U.S. Department of Commerce believes that China's breakthrough in high-end chips is a huge security threat to the United States.
Judging from the statements of officials of the U.S. Department of Commerce, the so-called "chip war" promoted by the United States is now in a state of "hysteria", and the United States has made it clear that it will not allow China's breakthrough in the field of high-end chips. In fact, if according to the United States' thinking, the United States has extended sanctions to the field of low-end chips, because China has previously purchased a large number of DUV lithography machines from abroad for chip manufacturing, if the Netherlands obeys the requirements of the United States and stops providing maintenance for the lithography machines purchased by China, it will have a huge impact on China's chip industry. However, if the Netherlands stopped providing equipment maintenance, it would also be a huge business risk, because it would be a violation of business ethics.
The United States launched a "chip war" In order to maintain the dominant position of the United States in the field of chips, and at the same time to prevent the development of China's high-tech industry, the United States has adopted a step-by-step strategy, and now the United States has forced a number of chip giants to open factories in the United States, so that the United States has a complete high-end chip industry chain, and at the same time the United States promotes the establishment of chip factories in India and Vietnam, so as to be able to manufacture low-end chips, and finally be able to suppress China's chip industry in an all-round way。