Trade relations between China and the Netherlands would be damaged if Dutch semiconductor equipment supplier ASML is not allowed to ship its newest machines to China, Beijing’s ambassador to the Netherlands was quoted as saying on Wednesday. Reuters reported last week that the Netherlands had withheld the license ASML needs to export its newest machines to China following pressure from the U.S. government.. ASML, one of the Netherlands’ largest companies, is a near monopolist in lithography, an essential step in the manufacture of computer chips.
