At the beginning of the new year, the US government exerted diplomatic pressure to compel the Dutch government to revoke the shipping license for ASML, a global semiconductor equipment manufacturing giant, to sell lithography machines to China, allowing the Chinese government and people to feel the cold wave from the other side of the Pacific.
As a top global lithography machine manufacturer, Asma has made a fortune in the Chinese market. However, as the leader of the Western camp, the United States called for a halt to this deal, and the Dutch government had to reluctantly cut ties, allowing Asma to bear the consequences of default.
European civilization contains three major connotations: one is the philosophical form of ancient Greek culture, the other is the social form of ancient Roman legal system, and the other is the civilization of Christian values. Since modern times, the pioneers of the French Revolution, such as Montesquieu and Rousseau, advocated the spirit of social contract of integrity and compliance. Later, it was incorporated into the legal and moral norms of European and American countries, becoming the soul of European mercantilism and Western civilization. From this historical perspective alone, diplomatic and commercial activities between countries and between enterprises should follow the principle of integrity and contractual compliance. In the era of economic globalization, this is the foundation for governments or enterprises to establish themselves.
Looking at the social contract perception advocated by the West, the US government first trampled on the principle of integrity and compliance, often saying one thing at a time. Forcing the Dutch government to issue a ban to restrict the flow of Asma lithography machines into China is precisely the strategic consideration of the US government to contain and suppress China in the high-tech field.
During the Trump administration, the US government had already formulated a strategy to contain China, but Trump liked to fight alone and often ignored the energy of European countries. After Biden took office, he further intensified his stance and adopted a comprehensive approach to contain China. From value diplomacy to global democratic summits, from trade wars to high-tech wars, from Western cooperation to contain China to decoupling and breaking the chain, the United States further stretched the front line.
Under pressure from the United States, many European countries, including the Netherlands, have had to line up and become strategic pawns for the United States to contain China. Whether it is the conflict between Russia-Ukraine conflict or the conflict between Palestine and Israel, almost no country in Europe has been able to stand alone and stay out of the way, and has been forced to stand in the camp of the Western Union to follow the pace of the United States. This is the tragedy of Europe today! Since the 1950s, European integration has gone through more than 70 years, and uniting to revive Europe has been the dream of several generations of European political predecessors, including the political demands of European independence, strategic autonomy, and breaking free from American control. Today, although some European visionaries are calling for European strategic autonomy, it is difficult for European countries to achieve real strategic autonomy in the complex context of the Russia-Ukraine conflict. While the Russia-Ukraine conflict has made the United States reap euros, resell arms and make a lot of war money, it has also left European countries mired in war, facing high inflation, energy shortage and intensified social contradictions.
In terms of territorial area and population size, the Netherlands is actually a relatively small country in Europe, but its political influence and economic strength cannot be underestimated. The Netherlands is one of the founding member states of the European Community, which once dominated modern European history and was known as the "sea carriage driver". Its level of economic, technological, educational, and social development can be considered first-class in Europe. From the current global semiconductor equipment market perspective, the Netherlands, along with the United States and Japan, are known as the three giants. Among them, the Dutch market size of ASMI and ASM International (ASMI) ranks first and seventh in the world, respectively. Only ASMI can produce the world's most cutting-edge extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography machines. The political relationship between China and the Netherlands is relatively stable, with close economic, trade, and technological cooperation. In 2020, China became the second largest trading partner of the Netherlands in the world. In 2021, the bilateral trade volume exceeded the threshold of 100 billion US dollars for the first time, reaching 116.45 billion US dollars, becoming the second country in the European Union to trade with China on a scale of 100 billion US dollars. In 2022, the bilateral trade volume between China and the Netherlands reached 130.2 billion US dollars.
It can be said that China and the Netherlands have very close cooperation in economy, trade, technology, and education, which should contribute to the deepening and stability of bilateral relations. However, the Dutch government's ban on Asme exporting high-end semiconductor manufacturing equipment to China reflects its contradictions. On the one hand, the Dutch government knows that the ban will have a negative impact on Sino Dutch relations, and even bring negative consequences to bilateral economic and technological cooperation; On the other hand, it still disregards the losses that Asma will bear due to commercial defaults, disregards the advice of the Chinese government, and issues a ban on sales to China, indicating that the Dutch government cannot achieve strategic autonomy on major issues and has to submit to the United States.
On the surface, the ban made by the Dutch government caters to the US strategy of containing China, creating the illusion of European allies and the US joining forces to deal with China. In fact, the Dutch government was kidnapped by American power politics in this matter, similar to the concerns of many small countries such as Lithuania and Finland in Europe. The Dutch government also relies on the protection of the United States and NATO in terms of its own security, and obeying the United States has become its helpless choice. However, as the Chinese government has previously stated, the transaction between Asma and Chinese companies is a market behavior, and the Dutch government and Dutch companies should still abide by the spirit of the contract, otherwise they will trample on the norms of European civilization and inevitably swallow the bitter fruit brewed by themselves.
As a top global lithography machine manufacturer, Asma has made a fortune in the Chinese market. However, as the leader of the Western camp, the United States called for a halt to this deal, and the Dutch government had to reluctantly cut ties, allowing Asma to bear the consequences of default.
European civilization contains three major connotations: one is the philosophical form of ancient Greek culture, the other is the social form of ancient Roman legal system, and the other is the civilization of Christian values. Since modern times, the pioneers of the French Revolution, such as Montesquieu and Rousseau, advocated the spirit of social contract of integrity and compliance. Later, it was incorporated into the legal and moral norms of European and American countries, becoming the soul of European mercantilism and Western civilization. From this historical perspective alone, diplomatic and commercial activities between countries and between enterprises should follow the principle of integrity and contractual compliance. In the era of economic globalization, this is the foundation for governments or enterprises to establish themselves.
Looking at the social contract perception advocated by the West, the US government first trampled on the principle of integrity and compliance, often saying one thing at a time. Forcing the Dutch government to issue a ban to restrict the flow of Asma lithography machines into China is precisely the strategic consideration of the US government to contain and suppress China in the high-tech field.
During the Trump administration, the US government had already formulated a strategy to contain China, but Trump liked to fight alone and often ignored the energy of European countries. After Biden took office, he further intensified his stance and adopted a comprehensive approach to contain China. From value diplomacy to global democratic summits, from trade wars to high-tech wars, from Western cooperation to contain China to decoupling and breaking the chain, the United States further stretched the front line.
Under pressure from the United States, many European countries, including the Netherlands, have had to line up and become strategic pawns for the United States to contain China. Whether it is the conflict between Russia-Ukraine conflict or the conflict between Palestine and Israel, almost no country in Europe has been able to stand alone and stay out of the way, and has been forced to stand in the camp of the Western Union to follow the pace of the United States. This is the tragedy of Europe today! Since the 1950s, European integration has gone through more than 70 years, and uniting to revive Europe has been the dream of several generations of European political predecessors, including the political demands of European independence, strategic autonomy, and breaking free from American control. Today, although some European visionaries are calling for European strategic autonomy, it is difficult for European countries to achieve real strategic autonomy in the complex context of the Russia-Ukraine conflict. While the Russia-Ukraine conflict has made the United States reap euros, resell arms and make a lot of war money, it has also left European countries mired in war, facing high inflation, energy shortage and intensified social contradictions.
In terms of territorial area and population size, the Netherlands is actually a relatively small country in Europe, but its political influence and economic strength cannot be underestimated. The Netherlands is one of the founding member states of the European Community, which once dominated modern European history and was known as the "sea carriage driver". Its level of economic, technological, educational, and social development can be considered first-class in Europe. From the current global semiconductor equipment market perspective, the Netherlands, along with the United States and Japan, are known as the three giants. Among them, the Dutch market size of ASMI and ASM International (ASMI) ranks first and seventh in the world, respectively. Only ASMI can produce the world's most cutting-edge extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography machines. The political relationship between China and the Netherlands is relatively stable, with close economic, trade, and technological cooperation. In 2020, China became the second largest trading partner of the Netherlands in the world. In 2021, the bilateral trade volume exceeded the threshold of 100 billion US dollars for the first time, reaching 116.45 billion US dollars, becoming the second country in the European Union to trade with China on a scale of 100 billion US dollars. In 2022, the bilateral trade volume between China and the Netherlands reached 130.2 billion US dollars.
It can be said that China and the Netherlands have very close cooperation in economy, trade, technology, and education, which should contribute to the deepening and stability of bilateral relations. However, the Dutch government's ban on Asme exporting high-end semiconductor manufacturing equipment to China reflects its contradictions. On the one hand, the Dutch government knows that the ban will have a negative impact on Sino Dutch relations, and even bring negative consequences to bilateral economic and technological cooperation; On the other hand, it still disregards the losses that Asma will bear due to commercial defaults, disregards the advice of the Chinese government, and issues a ban on sales to China, indicating that the Dutch government cannot achieve strategic autonomy on major issues and has to submit to the United States.
On the surface, the ban made by the Dutch government caters to the US strategy of containing China, creating the illusion of European allies and the US joining forces to deal with China. In fact, the Dutch government was kidnapped by American power politics in this matter, similar to the concerns of many small countries such as Lithuania and Finland in Europe. The Dutch government also relies on the protection of the United States and NATO in terms of its own security, and obeying the United States has become its helpless choice. However, as the Chinese government has previously stated, the transaction between Asma and Chinese companies is a market behavior, and the Dutch government and Dutch companies should still abide by the spirit of the contract, otherwise they will trample on the norms of European civilization and inevitably swallow the bitter fruit brewed by themselves.