A chip manufacture machine Photo: VCG

China's Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) on Saturday expressed "dissatisfaction" over the Netherlands' decision to impose restrictions on the export of some semiconductor equipment despite months of talks, and urged the Dutch side to respect market principles and contractual spirit to avoid hurdles from impacting bilateral cooperation.

Responding to the Dutch government's announcement on Friday, a spokesperson for MOFCOM, said that the two sides have carried out multi-level and frequent communication and consultation regarding the issue of semiconductor export controls over recent months.

"However, the Dutch side ultimately still put relevant semiconductor equipment under control. For this, the Chinese side expresses dissatisfaction," the spokesperson said.

The Dutch government announced new restrictions on the export of some chip equipment, which would boost the US' led push to curb exports of high-tech components to China, Reuters reported. Dutch Trade Minister Liesje Schreinemacher said that the move was "in the interest of our national security" and a "very limited" number of firms and product models would be impacted, according to Reuters.

In the response on Saturday, a MOFCOM spokesperson urged the Dutch side to respect market principles and contractual spirit so as to prevent relevant measures from hindering the normal cooperation and development of the semiconductor industries of the two countries.

The Netherlands was also urged to not abuse export control measures and earnestly protect the common interests of Chinese and Dutch companies and safeguard the stability of the global semiconductor supply chain.

The spokesperson also slammed the US' abuse of export control measures in recent years as a tool to preserve its global hegemony and constantly stretch the concept of national security. "The US didn't even blink in sacrificing the interests of its allies, coerced and wooed other countries to suppress and contain China's semiconductor industry, artificially promoted industrial decoupling and broken supply chains, and seriously damaged the development of the global semiconductor industry," the spokesperson said, "China firmly opposes this."

Washington has exerted intense pressure on allies, particularly the Netherlands and Japan, to join in its curbs on the export of chip equipment to China.