Washington: The United States, Japan and the Netherlands have agreed to impose a certain restriction on the sale of semiconductor manufacturing equipment to China, Bloomberg reported Friday.

Senior U.S., Japanese and Dutch government officials met in Washington on Friday to discuss restrictions on the export of semiconductors, which are becoming increasingly important for economic security.

They shared concerns over China’s strategy to advance its military buildup by using cutting-edge technologies, informed sources said.

In October last year, the administration of U.S. President Joe Biden decided to significantly strengthen its restrictions on exports of semiconductors and chip manufacturing equipment to China, and set a goal of forming a multilateral framework to contain the country.

Earlier this month, Biden held separate talks with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, raising issues related to Chinese threats. Biden has also sought cooperation from Taiwan and South Korea.

At a press conference Friday, John Kirby, coordinator for strategic communications at the U.S. National Security Council, revealed that U.S., Japanese and Dutch officials were holding talks in Washington for several days at the initiative of National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan.

Kirby declined to comment on the outcome of the talks, saying that the U.S. side would leave the assessment of the talks to Japan and the Netherlands.

In the global semiconductor manufacturing equipment market, the combined share of U.S., Japanese and Dutch makers is believed to be around 70 pct.

According to the Bloomberg report, Dutch semiconductor giant ASML Holding NV and major Japanese precision equipment maker Nikon Corp. are expected to limit their sales to China.

JIJI Press