A group of eight U.S. lawmakers on Tuesday called on the U.S. Department of State and Department of Commerce to tighten export restrictions on advanced semiconductor manufacturing equipment destined for China. In a letter addressed to Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick, they warned that current gaps in export controls threaten national security.
The letter was signed by House Select Committee on China Chairman John Moolenaar and House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Brian Mast, along with other members of Congress, including Democrat Gregory Meeks. The lawmakers argue that restrictions targeting specific companies are ineffective and are calling for countrywide trade restrictions on chipmaking equipment.
Gaps in Current Controls
"Once equipment crosses the border into China, the U.S. government has an extremely limited ability to enforce restrictions concerning end use and end users," the letter states. The lawmakers emphasize that Beijing has accelerated imports of foreign equipment needed to manufacture advanced chips and is exploiting regulatory loopholes and differences in enforcement among countries.
Congress specifically points to Dutch sales of advanced lithography equipment to China, which doubled between 2022 and 2023 and again between 2023 and 2024. "Every critical piece of equipment that enters China represents a permanent loss of U.S. leverage," the lawmakers warn.
Call for Coordination with Allies
Members of Congress are calling on President Donald Trump's administration to press allies to introduce countrywide controls on critical semiconductor manufacturing equipment and its components. They describe these as "chokepoints"—technologies for which China has no domestic equivalent.
However, the letter also contains a warning: if U.S. allies do not agree on countrywide controls, Washington should be prepared to impose restrictions on U.S.-origin components to close the remaining gaps on its own. "The United States should be prepared to prohibit the use of U.S.-origin components in the manufacture of critical tools destined for China," the document states.
Ban on Servicing Existing Equipment
In addition to restrictions on new exports, the lawmakers are also calling for restrictions on the maintenance and technical support of equipment already installed at Chinese facilities. They argue that ongoing servicing is essential for these machines to operate with the required precision, so allowing them to be upgraded or repaired could undermine the effectiveness of current restrictions.
China Is Developing Its Own Technologies
Congress's warning comes as China appears to be achieving technological breakthroughs that Washington has been trying to block for years. In December, Reuters found that Chinese scientists at a secure laboratory in Shenzhen had built a prototype machine inspired by the extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography equipment made by Dutch company ASML.
This technology is essential for manufacturing the most advanced chips that power artificial intelligence, smartphones, and Western military hardware. Although Beijing still faces major technical challenges, particularly in replicating the precision optical systems made by Western suppliers, this development demonstrates the progress of China's domestic industry.
One-Month Deadline for a Strategy
The lawmakers asked the Trump administration to submit a detailed report within one month on its strategy for securing allied cooperation in implementing broad and coordinated controls. International coordination is considered essential because companies in Europe and Asia supply critical technologies to the global semiconductor industry.
"If left unchecked, China could render U.S. and allied export controls irrelevant by completely replacing foreign chipmaking tools with its own," the lawmakers warn. The initiative reflects a growing consensus in Washington on the need to take a firm stance in the face of technological competition with China and strengthen protections for sectors that are strategic to national security.
Sources: tomshardware.com and derechadiario.com.ar
