WASHINGTON (AP) — President Biden is ready to host Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte for talks because the U.S. administration appears to be like to steer the Netherlands to additional restrict China’s entry to superior semiconductors with export restrictions.
Tuesday’s wide-ranging talks are additionally anticipated to cowl the nations’ efforts to thwart Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine and an upcoming democracy summit, in keeping with the White Home.
The Biden administration has been making an attempt to get the Netherlands on the identical web page for the reason that U.S. Commerce Division introduced in October new export controls geared toward China. The restrictions are supposed to restrict China’s capability to entry superior computing chips, develop and preserve supercomputers, and make superior semiconductors.
Administration officers have reasoned that the export restrictions are crucial as a result of China can use semiconductors to create superior army techniques together with weapons of mass destruction; commit human rights abuses; and enhance the velocity and accuracy of its army determination making, planning and logistics.
Slowing Beijing’s entry, nonetheless, will take loads of assist from allies for the U.S. export controls to have most influence. The Netherlands-based tech big ASML is a serious producer of machines that design and produce semiconductors. China is one among ASML’s greatest shoppers.
The U.S. has additionally been in talks with Japan on more durable export restrictions to restrict the sale of semiconductor manufacturing know-how to China. Rutte’s go to comes after Biden hosted Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida final week for talks.
The U.S. and Japan, in a joint assertion following the Oval Workplace assembly, mentioned the 2 sides agreed to “sharpen our shared edge on financial safety, together with safety and promotion of essential and rising applied sciences.”
China’s Overseas Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin final week known as on Japan and the Netherlands to withstand U.S. stress.
“We hope the related nations will do the appropriate factor and work collectively to uphold the multilateral commerce regime and safeguard the steadiness of the worldwide industrial and provide chains,” he mentioned. “This can even serve to guard their very own long-term pursuits.”
Rutte mentioned in a Twitter posting on Monday that he had spoken by cellphone with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy about Saturday’s Russian missile strike on an condo constructing in Dnipro – one of many deadliest assaults on civilians within the almost 11-month-old warfare. Authorities mentioned the dying toll from the strike rose to 40 and that 30 folks remained lacking Monday.
“The horrific assault on an condo block in Dnipro underscores simply why Russia can’t be allowed to win this warfare,” Rutte mentioned within the posting. “The coordination of worldwide army assist stays important within the months forward.”
Forward of Tuesday’s assembly, White Home Nationwide Safety Council spokesman John Kirby praised the Netherlands as as a “key supporter of safety help in Ukraine.” The Netherlands has already contributed about $3 billion to assist Ukraine and has dedicated to spending about $1 billion extra.
Kirby mentioned the 2 leaders additionally plan to debate the Summit for Democracy, which they’re co-hosting with Costa Rica, South Korea and Zambia in late March.
Biden hosted the inaugural democracy summit in December 2021, which the administration billed as the beginning of a world dialog about how finest to halt the backsliding of democracy.
