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the netherlands still took action.

the dutch government announced that from september 7, more advanced equipment such as lithography machines must obtain special approval from the netherlands if they are to be exported outside the european union.

which devices?

the dutch government explained,deep ultraviolet (duv) immersion lithography machine!

not to mention the more advanced extreme ultraviolet (euv) lithography machines, which have long been completely banned from sale to china.

the outside world noticed that when announcing the decision, dutch foreign trade minister linette kleve did not mention china, but only said, "i made this decision for our security" and "especially in the current geopolitical context."

butanyone with a discerning eye can see that this is aimed at china.

because asml of the netherlands is the only manufacturer of the world's most advanced lithography machines. when the united states launched a chip war against china, asml was the first target.

as early as 2018, the united states put pressure on the dutch government to ask asml to stop exporting advanced lithography machines to china. in recent years, the united states has been wielding a big stick, frequently tightening its chip export control measures to china on the grounds of "national security."

last october, the united states unilaterally issued an interim final rule to restrict asml's export of some lithography machines to china.

the united states is forcing the netherlands to take a stand.

the dutch government was hesitant.

after all, asml is the largest company in the netherlands and the largest technology company in europe. mainland china is now asml's third largest market after taiwan and south korea, accounting for about 20% of its current backlog of orders.

if it weren't for us restrictions, mainland china might have always been asml's largest export market.

continuing to restrict exports to china will inevitably have an impact on asml's operations.

asml is in a real headache. it could sell its own products to anyone it wants, but now the united states has intervened and is waving a big stick to stop the sale!

what kind of logic is this?

new ceo fu kai complained that such restrictions by the united states were totally unwise, and that "the more restrictions imposed, the more it will force the other side to be self-reliant."

this is exactly what asml is most worried about.

fouquet's predecessor, asml's former ceo wenninck, publicly stated that the us restrictions would be counterproductive becausethe more pressure the united states exerts, the more likely china is to "redouble its efforts." in the end, china will independently produce the most advanced lithography machines that can rival asml.

is this a good thing or a bad thing for asml and the netherlands?

at first, holland wanted to do some work in the united states.

the then dutch prime minister rutte called for the netherlands to be given more time to assess the impact of such an export ban.

it is worth noting that in march this year, rutte made a special visit to china and made it clear that the netherlands will ensure that export control measures will not be specifically targeted at a certain country and will strive to reduce the impact of export restrictions.

after taking office, the new dutch prime minister schof also said that asml's economic interests must be considered when deciding whether to impose an export ban. "asml is an extremely important innovative industry for the netherlands and should not be affected under any circumstances, as this would damage asml's global position."

butjudging from the final result, the netherlands was powerless and had to succumb to the tyranny of the united states.

in the past, restricting asml exports was just a unilateral and overbearing move by the united states; now, it has also become a conscious action of the netherlands.

the netherlands' promise was also slapped in the face by reality.

of course, looking at it from the most positive perspective, the netherlands has not done all.

the dutch government declared that if asml wants to export a related equipment to china, the dutch government will approve it, "so there is no export ban issue."

because it also required approval in the past, but it was the united states that approved it personally, and now it is the netherlands that approves it itself.

i saw that asml also immediately issued a statement saying that the netherlands' move was "just a technical change" and would not affect the company's financial prospects or long-term vision.

is it really of no impact?

asml probably has its own difficulties too.

finally, what do you think?

let me just give you three brief points.

first, what is supposed to come will definitely come.

we should not have any illusions. if we do some work, the netherlands will resist the us's actions and continue to export advanced lithography machines to china.

impossible.

after all, the united states' tyranny is there, and no matter how much the netherlands disagrees, it must cooperate and swallow its anger.

we can also expect that the united states will not give up and will continue to tighten sanctions, forcing the netherlands, japan, south korea and other countries to follow suit and complete the stranglehold on china's advanced chip industry.

second, we saw blatant double standards.

on the one hand, the call for free trade is deafening; on the other hand, bullying behavior seriously violates free trade.

anyway, in the eyes of the united states, everything it does is right; if china surpasses the united states, it is not acceptable and it must be suppressed.

the chip war is the most intense area.

it's typical of him saying one thing and doing another. he is quite overbearing and hypocritical.

third, we must be more aware of shame and be more courageous.

this is the cruel reality, very tragic, but we must have more courage.

what's wrong?

don't cause trouble, but don't be afraid of it. there are difficulties, but overcome them.

this reminds me of a huawei propaganda poster, which shows an il-2 aircraft riddled with bullet holes during world war ii. it was beaten like a sieve in the battle, but it still insisted on flying and finally flew back safely.

this is a kind of courage to survive at the risk of one's life:without scars, how can you have thick skin and strong flesh? heroes have suffered many hardships since ancient times.

we must also have full confidence.

photolithography machines are difficult to make, and advanced photolithography machines are the country's most important equipment. they cannot be made on a whim.

but as wenninck warned, if china really redoubles its efforts, one day we will surely produce lithography equipment that can rival asml.

believe in the power of the market, believe in the power of technology, believe in the power of openness. trying to block the way of others will only end up blocking your own way.

this world is really not that beautiful, but this is the reality. we still have to work hard and ultimately it all depends on our strength.

we must believe,in this world, everything that doesn't kill us will make us stronger.