Targeting Chinese chips, U.S. to push Dutch on ASML service contracts

President Joe Biden's administration plans to press the Netherlands next week to stop its top chipmaking equipment maker ASML from servicing some tools in China, two people familiar with the matter said, as the U.S. leans on allies in its bid to hobble Beijing's tech sector.

Alan Estevez, the U.S. export policy chief, is scheduled to meet in the Netherlands next Monday with officials from the Dutch government and ASML to discuss the servicing contracts, the people said.

Washington may also be seeking to add to a list of Chinese chipmaking factories restricted from receiving Dutch equipment as part of the discussions, one of the people said.

The Dutch Foreign Ministry confirmed the upcoming meeting but did not elaborate on which topics would be on the agenda.

"The Netherlands always has good discussions with our partners. The meeting of officials on Monday is one example of that," the Ministry told Reuters.

The Chinese Embassy in Washington said Beijing opposes the U.S.'s "overstretching" of the concept of national security and use of "pretexts to coerce other countries into joining its technological blockade against China."

The Commerce Department and ASML, whose shares briefly fell after the news, declined to comment.

The meeting is Washington's latest move to convince allies to join U.S. efforts to further crack down on Beijing's ability to produce cutting-edge chips.

Last year, sanctioned Chinese telecoms giant Huawei shocked the world with a new phone powered by a sophisticated chip. The Huawei Mate 60 Pro was seen as a symbol of the China's technological resurgence despite Washington's ongoing efforts to cripple its capacity to produce advanced semiconductors.

Chip-related exports to China are vital for its