China’s tech restrictions expected to lead Biden meeting, Dutch Prime Minister Rutte | Tech news
The United States has sought to strengthen export controls to limit Beijing’s access to advanced computer chips.
US President Joe Biden and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte will meet at the White House with US restricts exports Targeting China is expected to be at the top of the agenda.
A wide-ranging meeting at the White House on Tuesday was scheduled as the United States sought to bolster allies’ support for restrictions intended to limit China’s access to computer chips. advanced computing, development and maintenance of supercomputers, and advanced semiconductor manufacturing.
The Biden administration has Discuss that the new restrictions, announced by the US Department of Commerce in October, are necessary because China can use semiconductors to create advanced military systems, including weapons of mass destruction. series, as well as improving the speed and accuracy of decision-making and military planning. and logistics.
The largest Dutch company is ASML Holding, a major supplier to semiconductor manufacturers that has always maintained China as one of its top customers.
In an interview on Monday, Dutch Trade Minister Liesje Schreinemacher said Amsterdam would not immediately accept the new US restrictions.
“We’ve been talking to the Americans for a long time, but they came up with new rules in October, so that changes the playing field,” Schreinemacher said on Dutch TV show Buitenhof. “So you can’t say they have pressured us for two years and now we have to sign the dotted line. And we won’t.”
The commerce secretary added that Washington has “legitimate concerns” about an over-reliance on Asia, where 80 percent of cutting-edge chips are produced, as well as the threat that the technology could support applications. military use.
The Dutch government has refused ASML’s permission since 2019 to send China the most advanced lithography, design and manufacture of semiconductors, following a pressure campaign by the Dutch authorities. former US President Donald Trump.
However, the company sold 2 billion euros ($2.1 billion) of old machines to China in 2021.
ASML CEO Peter Wennink previously said he expected US export controls to have only “limited impact” on shipments of machinery.
Tuesday’s visit comes after Biden last week organization Prime Minister Fumio Kishida of Japan, another important figure in semiconductor technology.
The United States and Japan said in a joint statement after the meeting that they had agreed to “strengthen their common advantage in economic security, including the protection and promotion of important and emerging technologies.”
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is also expected to be discussed during the Biden-Rutte meeting as White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby called the Netherlands a “major supporter of security assistance in Syria.” Ukraine”.
The Netherlands has pledged about 2.5 billion euros ($2.7 billion) in assistance to Ukraine this year. The money will be spent on military equipment, humanitarian and diplomatic efforts.
Kirby said the two leaders also plan to discuss the Summit for Democracy, which they are currently working on co-organizer with Costa Rica, South Korea and Zambia at the end of March.
Biden hosted the inaugural democracy summit in December 2021. His administration sees it as the start of a global conversation about how best to prevent a democratic setback.
