The Dutch government has protested against a proposed U.S. bill that would further restrict semiconductor equipment exports to China, according to written answers by Dutch Trade Minister Sjoerd Sjoerdsma to lawmakers.
The legislation, known as the Multilateral Alignment of Technology Controls on Hardware Act, or MATCH Act, seeks to compel U.S. allies such as the Netherlands and Japan to align more closely with Washington’s semiconductor export restrictions targeting China. The bill has emerged as part of broader U.S. efforts to slow China’s progress in advanced semiconductors and artificial intelligence technologies.
At the center of the dispute is Dutch chip equipment maker ASML, the world’s dominant supplier of lithography machines used to manufacture advanced semiconductors. Existing export controls already prevent the company from selling its most advanced extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography systems to Chinese customers, while additional restrictions imposed in recent years have limited exports of some advanced deep ultraviolet (DUV) equipment as well.
However, ASML continues to supply older-generation DUV systems to Chinese chipmakers as well as South Korean and Taiwanese firms operating in China, and the proposed U.S. legislation is intended to effectively block those sales and tighten servicing restrictions for Chinese semiconductor facilities.
Dutch officials have objected to the proposed U.S. legislation, particularly its “extraterritorial” elements, arguing that restrictions proposed in the draft legislation could hurt revenues of semiconductor firms, including Dutch companies, weaken their market position, and undermine the predictability of trade and investment conditions.
“Given the possible impact of the Match Act on the Netherlands if adopted in its current form, the Netherlands has communicated its objections, particularly regarding the extraterritorial aspects, to both members of Congress and the US government,” Dutch Trade Minister Sjoerd Sjoerdsma reportedly said in written answers to lawmakers published on May 12th, 2025, cited in a recent report by South China Morning Post (SCMP).
“The cabinet opposes the extraterritorial effect inherent in the American proposal. Every country is responsible for its own export control legislation,” Sjoerdsma said, according to the written answers to Dutch lawmakers reviewed by the SCMP.
“Such broad measures could also potentially have a significant impact on the revenues of semiconductor companies, including Dutch firms, and weaken their market position. They could also undermine the predictability of the trade and investment climate.”
He further said that these concerns had been raised by the Dutch prime minister, foreign minister, and his ministry during the Netherlands’ royal visit to the United States in April.
The Netherlands has increasingly found itself caught between Washington’s national security concerns and its own commercial interests, particularly given ASML’s significant exposure to the Chinese market.
China remains an important source of revenue for ASML despite years of tightening export controls. The Dutch company has continued supplying certain older-generation chipmaking tools to Chinese clients, including facilities operated by domestic Chinese chipmakers as well as foreign manufacturers with operations in China.
The proposed legislation has also intensified geopolitical tensions between Washington and Beijing ahead of high-level diplomatic engagement between the two countries. Reuters reported that Chinese officials have strongly criticized the MATCH Act in recent weeks and raised concerns about the bill during diplomatic discussions with U.S. officials and representatives from the U.S. chip industry.
Chinese authorities have accused the United States of using national security as a pretext to suppress China’s technological development and pressure allies into joining what Beijing describes as a “technological blockade.” China’s commerce ministry has warned that the legislation could disrupt the international trade order and pledged to take countermeasures if the bill becomes law.
Beijing has already introduced measures that could potentially target foreign entities enforcing or supporting external sanctions against Chinese firms. Those measures include the possibility of placing companies or individuals on a so-called “Malicious Entity List” and pursuing legal action against parties deemed to be participating in discriminatory restrictions against China.
The bill’s bipartisan support and parallel Senate legislation indicate a strong chance of its passage, according to industry experts.
“The bill has a relatively high chance of being passed at the congressional level,” Mark Shi, a lawyer focusing on export controls at Shanghai-based Co-Effort Law Firm, told SCMP while also suggesting that, considering the nature of current Sino-U.S. tensions, it could also be used as a “natural bargaining chip” between the two sides.
Tanmay Kadam is a geopolitical observer based in India. He has experience working as a Defense and International Affairs journalist for EurAsian Times. He can be contacted at tanmaykadam700@gmail.com.