Dutch Trade Minister Sjoerd Sjoerdsma traveled to Washington this week to meet with U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and members of Congress to voice opposition to the MATCH Act, a proposed bill that would bar Chinese chipmakers from accessing Western semiconductor equipment. The legislation would have a pronounced impact on ASML.
Why ASML would be especially affected
ASML, headquartered in the Netherlands, is Europe’s most valuable company and the only manufacturer of the advanced lithography machines used to produce cutting‑edge AI chips. China represents 19% of ASML’s net system sales. The MATCH Act would go beyond current controls by extending restrictions to ASML’s deep ultraviolet immersion machines on top of the existing ban on its most advanced extreme ultraviolet (EUV) tools.
The bill and potential market effects
The bill was introduced in April, but it has not yet faced a full House or Senate vote. Bloomberg reports that passage would likely require folding the proposal into a larger legislative package. Were the MATCH Act to become law, it would not only directly affect ASML’s sales to China but could also ripple through supply chains and the global semiconductor industry.
Company context
ASML Chief Executive Christophe Fouquet told TechCrunch in May that what Chinese customers can currently buy are older‑generation deep ultraviolet tools — equipment first shipped roughly a decade ago. The MATCH Act would classify these older immersion machines as off‑limits, expanding the scope of equipment banned from sale to China.
After his meetings, Sjoerd Sjoerdsma told Bloomberg, “It’s exceptional that I’m coming here to broadly outline our concerns to Congress. The stakes for the Netherlands may be very high.”
What comes next
The fate of the MATCH Act depends on congressional negotiations; it remains unclear whether the bill will be considered on its own or included within a broader package. The issue is significant because it affects the flow of Western technology to China and has direct implications for key suppliers such as ASML.
