Dutch authorities excludes most ASML gross sales to China from ‘twin use’ export information

Most ASML China gross sales excluded from Dutch ‘twin use’ export information

*

Authorities says information commercially delicate, disclosure elective

*

ASML had gross sales of greater than $7 billion to China in 2024

By Toby Sterling

AMSTERDAM, – The Dutch authorities excludes billions of euros of gross sales by expertise firm ASML to China from disclosures on delicate items exports, it has advised Reuters, following a coverage determination that has not been beforehand reported.

The transfer is of curiosity as a result of specialists and others who depend on the routine disclosures to grasp the Netherlands’ exports of products with navy purposes, together with parliament, might not have the complete image.

Laptop chip tools maker ASML releases gross sales information for China – greater than $7 billion value in 2024 – but it surely doesn’t specify the kind of equipment it sells by area.

That may be a matter of monetary and navy curiosity as a result of the kind of lithography software that ASML clients purchase determines the sophistication of the chips they will make.

The Dutch authorities’s determination to exclude most of ASML’s Chinese language gross sales from public disclosure, confirmed to Reuters by the overseas ministry, dates from September 2023. At the moment, following stress from the USA, the Netherlands launched a nationwide listing of “twin use” items thought-about to have navy significance, centered on ASML’s DUV instruments, that require a licence to export. Its most superior EUV instruments had all the time required an export licence.

In written solutions to questions from Reuters, the overseas ministry stated that whereas it should disclose licence grants for items thought-about delicate by the European Union, resembling EUV instruments, that requirement does not prolong to the DUV instruments on the brand new Dutch listing.

“The reason being that such info could be simply traced again to particular corporations, thereby revealing commercially delicate enterprise information,” it stated.

Frank Slijper of peace group PAX, which intently displays arms exports, was essential of the coverage.

He stated disclosure necessities exist as a result of correct assessments of states’ navy capabilities stop battle.

“It is in no one’s curiosity to extend the extent of secrecy,” he stated.

In a report despatched by the Overseas Ministry to parliament in November, the Dutch authorities stated that China was the sixth largest vacation spot for Dutch “twin use” items, with 253 million euros value in 2023, barely behind Switzerland.

Nonetheless, China would have been first forward of Taiwan, South Korea, the U.S. and Britain if ASML’s “twin use” gross sales had been included, in response to Reuters calculations.

This text was generated from an automatic information company feed with out modifications to textual content.