Ambassador warns Netherlands against ASML restrictions

China’s ambassador to the Netherlands has warned of a deterioration of bilateral relations if the EU country implements its planned export ban on semiconductor machinery manufacturer ASML. The Netherlands would thus jeopardize its leading position in chip technology by cutting itself off from the world’s largest market, Chinese Ambassador Tan Jian said, according to the Financieele Dagblad. Such export restrictions would be „bad for China, bad for the Netherlands and world trade – and will have a negative impact on our relations and economic cooperation,“ Tan said. „This will not be without consequence. I will not speculate on countermeasures, but China will not take this lightly.“