Netherlands Won't 'Copy' US Chip Controls on China, Dutch Official Says

The Netherlands doesn’t plan to mirror the U.S.’s recent chip restrictions on China (see 2210070049) “one-to-one” and will seek to impose export controls “on our own terms,” Liesje Schreinemacher, the country’s foreign trade minister, told Dutch news outlet NRC Nov. 18. Schreinemacher said the Netherlands has been talking “intensively” with the U.S. about export controls for two years, the report said, but a consensus on chip restrictions hasn’t been reached. But she also said a deal “could be reached within a few months,” the report said.

“I cannot say anything about the nature of the talks. But the U.S. cannot simply impose such changes on us. We participate in those conversations in a sovereign way. Because the Americans need us too. We shouldn't make ourselves smaller than we are -- we have important companies within our borders and will not give that negotiating room away easily,” Schreinemacher said. “The Netherlands will not copy the American measures one-to-one. We make our own assessment -- and we do this in consultation with partner countries such as Japan and the U.S.”

Schreinemacher also said the Netherlands wants to “maintain technology leadership” and “avoid strategic dependencies,” and expects to “look at semiconductors and the chip market with a more critical eye.” But, she said, “more time is needed” before the country imposes any new controls.

BIS Undersecretary Alan Estevez had reportedly planned to visit the Netherlands this month (see 2211030052); an agency spokesperson declined to comment on the trip. Estevez said last month that he is confident allies will adopt similar controls on China in the “near term” (see 2210270047), but Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo reportedly told chip companies that the process could take nine months (see 2211040014), amounting to conflicting messaging that has frustrated some in the semiconductor industry (see 2211040051).