Netherlands presses US to drop ASML chip curbs tied to China

The Netherlands is pushing Washington not to widen export controls on chipmaking equipment that would further restrict ASML's sales to China. Dutch Trade Minister Sjoerd Sjoerdsma met US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and lawmakers in Washington as Congress debates the MATCH Act, a bill that would block Chinese chipmakers from getting more advanced tools. The Dutch government argues the measure reaches into another country's trade policy and should not be imposed across borders. ASML, based in Veldhoven, is the only manufacturer of the most advanced lithography systems. China was its biggest market and accounted for 19% of net system sales in the first quarter. The proposed US expansion would target all ASML immersion DUV machines, adding to existing bans on EUV exports to China.