Source: TechCrunch
The U.S. is using export controls and diplomatic pressure to restrict advanced semiconductor equipment sales to China, but European chipmakers like ASML resist losing market share and dependent relationships. Europe's resistance stems from economic self-interest—they cannot afford to cede the Chinese market to competitors—and exposes a widening transatlantic fracture over how aggressively to restrict tech supply chains. This fragmentation weakens Western enforcement of a unified tech containment strategy while pushing China to invest harder in domestic alternatives.