Netherlands joins US Pax Silica chip alliance amid US push to curb ASML exports

Dutch Trade Minister Sjoerd Sjoerdsma signed a declaration in Washington that enrols the Netherlands in the US‑led Pax Silica alliance, a coalition of key AI and semiconductor partners aimed at securing supply chains and reducing reliance on China. The pact brings together the United States, Japan, South Korea, the United Kingdom, Australia, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, India and others, and highlights the strategic role of Dutch chipmaker ASML, the world’s only supplier of advanced lithography machines. ASML generates roughly one‑fifth of its revenue from Chinese customers, and the United States is considering the MATCH Act, legislation that would allow Washington to block the export and servicing of ASML’s older deep‑ultraviolet tools to China. The Dutch delegation is lobbying against the bill, stressing that export controls work best when coordinated voluntarily rather than imposed unilaterally.

Separately, US officials have alleged that an ASML extreme‑ultraviolet (EUV) system may have reached China in breach of export rules, a claim the company denies, stating all its machines are monitored remotely. The Netherlands also plans a business delegation to China that includes ASML and NXP executives, on the condition that trade talks avoid human‑rights or Taiwan‑related issues. The combined developments reflect a widening techno‑strategic rivalry between the United States and China, with the Netherlands seeking to protect its high‑tech sector while cooperating on broader AI and chip security.