News agency Bloomberg reports that American, Dutch, and Japanese officials have reached an agreement in Washington on a new set of limits on the export of such equipment to Chinese companies.
Two weeks ago, U.S. President Joe Biden urged Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte to stop the Dutch technology manufacturer ASML from selling so-called deep-ultraviolet lithography machines to China. Japan will now also impose similar export limits on Nikon.
The three countries have the main companies that produce such equipment. American manufacturers complained that the unilateral export ban imposed by the Biden administration in October allowed their foreign competitors to continue operating in the Chinese market.
In December, Beijing filed a complaint with the World Trade Organization to overturn the export controls imposed by the U.S. Even ASML's CEO has warned that the U.S. campaign may have unintended consequences.
Recently, ASML chief Peter Wennink said that the export control measures advocated by the U.S. against China could eventually lead Beijing to develop its own technology for advanced chips.