Chinese and American flags fly near the Bund before the US trade delegation meets their Chinese counterparts for talks in Shanghai, China, July 30, 2019.
Aly song | Reuters
BEIJING – China's Commerce Ministry said Thursday that the US is weaponizing export controls and using them as a tool.
“We are very concerned about the direct intervention and interference of the United States in the issue of high-tech exports of Dutch companies to China,” spokesperson Shu Jueting said at the ministry's first press conference in 2024, according to a CNBC translation from her Mandarin. -language comments.
“The United States has instrumentalized and weaponized export control issues,” she said, calling on the Dutch side to “respect the spirit of the contract and support companies in conducting compliant trade.”
She was responding to a question about ASML, the Netherlands-based company that makes lithography machines essential for the production of advanced semiconductors.
ASML said in a Jan. 1 statement that the Dutch government has restricted its export of certain lithography products to China.
The Dutch government announced new restrictions last year on the export of certain equipment for the production of advanced chips. The move followed US export controls aimed at restricting the Chinese military's access to high-end semiconductor technology.
ASML said in the statement that after discussions with the US government, it discovered that the latest US export rules in October cover certain lithographic tools.
China “strongly” opposes such steps and will take “necessary measures” to protect Chinese business interests, Shu said.
The ministry last year announced export controls on certain metals used in chip production.
US-China trade talks focus on chips
Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao also expressed concern about U.S. controls on chip exports in a phone call with U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo on Thursday, the ministry said.
Wang “focused on expressing serious concerns about US restrictions on third-party exports of lithography machines to China, investigations into the supply chain of older chips and sanctions suppressing Chinese companies,” the ministry said in a Chinese language translation obtained by CNBC.
The U.S. Commerce Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment outside U.S. business hours.