Reference News Network reported on February 2 (Text/Shu Meng)
In order to curb the export of cutting-edge technology to China, the United States has taken great pains. Following the introduction of semiconductor control measures against China in October last year, the United States has been pressing its allies, especially Japan and the Netherlands, to follow suit. According to the Nihon Keizai Shimbun, in mid-January, the United States "invited" Dutch and Japanese leaders to the White House, hoping to make progress through direct negotiations. At the end of January, the United States finally reached an agreement in principle with the Netherlands and Japan on restricting the export of some advanced chip manufacturing equipment to China.
Although a preliminary agreement has been reached on the surface, the three countries have not disclosed the specific details of the agreement so far. Political and business people in the Netherlands and Japan are full of doubts and uneasiness.
For the Netherlands, this agreement means a huge loss. As the world’s leading manufacturer in mask aligner, ASML Holding Company of the Netherlands is of great significance to Intel and TSMC, and its business in China accounts for nearly one-seventh of its transaction volume in mask aligner.
According to the German newspaper frankfurter allgemeine zeitung, after all parties basically reached an agreement to continue to restrict the export of chip machines, ASML Holding Company had to prepare for long-term losses. ASML said that if we follow the US government regulations and don’t sell advanced chip equipment to China, it will affect the company’s revenue by about 5%.
Its CEO, Peter Wen Ning, even appealed to the Dutch government to be "wise". According to the Financial Times, Wen Ning called on the Dutch government to choose "wise" export control measures to China and not to have a "major impact" on key global industries.
Bloomberg News previously quoted Wenningke as saying that in the measures announced by the United States in October last year, personnel restrictions "brought various problems to individuals and enterprises", and "this has never been anything to cheer about".
In addition, Wen Ning also expressed doubts about the intention of the United States to block the development of China’s cutting-edge technology by controlling exports. In an interview with Bloomberg News on January 25th, Wen Ning said that semiconductor enterprises in China will develop their own machines if they can’t get them. This move by the United States will only encourage Beijing to successfully develop its own technology on advanced chip manufacturing machines.
Japan also has its own scruples, and it can’t give a clear answer immediately whether it will fully follow the US control policy.
"Nihon Keizai Shimbun" analyzed in an article that, first of all, at the legal level, this is a thorny issue. Japan’s export management is based on foreign exchange law. Japan is controlling the export of consumer products that can be used for weapons and military purposes. To export designated goods and technologies, it is necessary to obtain the permission of the Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry. When adding target products, the government and provincial orders should be revised. If the existing law does not support the new restrictions, we should also consider amending the law, which will take at least a few months.
Secondly, Japanese political circles are also worried that once new restrictions are introduced, China may take countermeasures against Japan. Yasutoshi Nishimura, Japanese Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry, said recently that the government is also considering the export control of other countries and making appropriate responses. He declined to comment on the specific talks with the United States. German newspaper frankfurter allgemeine zeitung said that this statement can also be interpreted as: all the details of export control have not been finalized, and Japan will not adopt American regulations one by one.
This attitude is also reflected in the attitude of business people.
According to the Nihon Keizai Shimbun, when talking about Canon equipment that may be involved in US export control to China, the vice president of Canon of Japan said that he would "pay attention to the further development of the situation".
As the article of Bloomberg News said, when the global economic situation is not optimistic, this move by the United States will damage a vital market and adversely affect the income of the world’s largest industrial enterprise. The United States’ efforts to lead the world to protectionism are harmful to others and not beneficial to itself, and blocking China’s plan on the chip issue will only be counterproductive.
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