US to tighten export controls on foreign chip equipment to China, exempts key allies

President Joe Biden’s administration plans to unveil a new rule next month that will expand US powers to stop exports of semiconductor manufacturing equipment from some foreign countries to Chinese chipmakers, two sources familiar with the rule said.

But shipments from allies that export key chipmaking equipment – including Japan, the Netherlands and South Korea – will be excluded, limiting the impact of the rule, said the sources who were not authorized to speak to media and declined to be identified.

As such, major chip equipment manufacturers such as ASML and Tokyo Electron will not be affected. Shares in both companies surged following the news.

The rule, an expansion of what is known as the Foreign Direct Product rule, would bar about half a dozen Chinese semiconductor fabrication factories, or fabs, at the center of China’s most sophisticated chipmaking efforts from receiving exports from many countries, according to one of the sources.

Places whose exports would be affected would include Israel, Taiwan, Singapore and Malaysia.

Reuters could not determine which Chinese chip fabs would be impacted.

“The US Department of Commerce is continually assessing the evolving threat environment and updating our export controls, as necessary, to protect US national security and safeguard our technological ecosystem,” a department spokesperson said in a statement. “We remain committed to working closely with our allies who share our values.”

Asked about the impending export control package, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said efforts by the US to “coerce other countries into suppressing China’s semiconductor industry” undermines global trade and hurts all parties.

Lin added that China hopes relevant countries would resist US efforts and safeguard their long-term interests.

“Containment and suppression cannot stop China’s development, but will only enhance China’s determination and ability to develop its scientific and technological self-reliance,” he said.

Aiming to impede supercomputing and AI breakthroughs that could benefit the Chinese military, the US imposed export controls on advanced chips and chipmaking equipment for China in 2022 and 2023, restricting shipments from California-based companies like Nvidia and Lam Research.

But Washington recognized that export controls agreed upon by several key countries were necessary and, last year, reached a deal for Japan and the Netherlands to also restrict semiconductor manufacturing tools to China. The three countries dominate the production of advanced chipmaking equipment.

The US has been trying to add more restrictions to that agreement and also to get South Korea and Germany to join the coalition, sources said.

The new rule, currently in draft form, shows how Washington is seeking to keep up pressure on China’s burgeoning semiconductor industry without antagonizing allies.

“They’re being cautious in using the rule because it makes our allies very uneasy,” said James Lewis, a researcher at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington. “There’s only so far you can push this without people jumping off the ship.”

“The US isn’t going to give up on restricting technology to China,” Lewis added. “The Europeans got a temporary pass. (Other) countries got a temporary pass.

But the rule is “like a promise that we’ll keep coming back at this,” he said.

The Foreign Direct Product rule stipulates that if a product is made using American software or technology, the US government has the power to stop it from being sold – including products made in a foreign country.

The rule has been used for several years to keep chips made abroad from Chinese tech giant Huawei, which re-invented itself after it struggled with the US restrictions, and is now a central player in advanced chip production and development.

The rule also was used in 2022 to cut China off from certain semiconductor chips made anywhere in the world.

As part of the latest export control package, the US plans to lower the amount of US content that determines when foreign items are subject to US control, sources said, adding that it closes a loophole in the Foreign Direct Product rule.

Equipment, for example, could be designated as falling under export controls simply because a chip containing US technology is incorporated into it, they said.

The US also plans to add about 120 Chinese entities to its restricted trade list, including the fabs that would be hit by the rule, plus toolmakers, providers of EDA (electronic design automation) software and related companies. Suppliers for entities on the list need to obtain licenses to ship to them, which are likely to be denied.

The planned new rule is only in draft form and could change, but the aim is to publish it in some form next month, the sources said.

Aside from Japan, the Netherlands and South Korea, the draft rule exempts over 30 other countries which are part of the same A:5 group.

The Commerce Department says on its website that it categorizes countries “based on factors like diplomatic relationships and security concerns. These classifications help determine licensing requirements and simplify export control regulations, ensuring lawful and secure international trade.”

ASML shares jumped 6.5 percent in morning Amsterdam trade, while Tokyo Electron shares closed 7.4 percent higher. Other Japanese makers of chip-related equipment also made strong gains with Screen Holdings climbing 9 percent and Advantest up 4.5 percent.

The planned exemptions are a sign the US needs to be diplomatic when implementing restrictions.

“Effective export controls rely on multilateral buy-in,” said a separate US official who declined to be identified. “We continually work with like-minded countries to achieve our shared national security objectives.”