China opposes Dutch plan to limit chip exports – ministry

BEIJING, March 9 (Reuters) – China opposes Dutch plans to restrict semiconductor exports, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said on Thursday.

The Dutch government announced on Wednesday that it plans to impose new restrictions on exports of semiconductor technology to protect national security, adding to U.S. efforts to curb chip exports to the world’s second-largest economy.

Asked about the Dutch decision at a press conference, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said China had filed complaints with the Netherlands.

“We strongly oppose the Netherlands using administrative means to intervene and limit normal economic and trade exchanges between Chinese and Dutch companies,” Mao Ning said.

In October, the United States imposed sweeping restrictions on the export of American chipmaking tools to China.

(Reporting by Eduardo Baptista; Writing by Ella Cao and Liz Lee; Editing in Spanish by Benjamín Mejías Valencia)