The European Union (EU) reacted to China’s decision to restrict exports of certain elements, especially critical in the production of chips.

EU Commission spokeswoman Sonya Gospodinova assessed China’s imposition of export restrictions on gallium and germanium elements at the daily press conference in Brussels.

“China informed us yesterday that the export of products containing gallium and germanium will require a dual-use export license from August 1, 2023,” Gospodinova said, adding that this decision was made on the basis of safety and national interests.

Recalling that gallium and germanium are used in many products critical to the green and digital transformation, Gospodinova said: “The EU Commission is working on a detailed analysis of the announced measures and their potential impact on global supply chains. and the European industry”. saying.

‘THE EU COMMISSION IS CONCERNED’

“The EU Commission is concerned that these export restrictions are not related to the need to maintain world peace and stability.” Gospodinova urged China to take an approach in line with World Trade Organization (WTO) rules on export restrictions and controls.

Gospodinova noted that they will determine the next steps based on the results of their analysis.

The Netherlands announced extensive export controls targeting microchip technologies to China last week.

In this context, from September, a license condition will apply for the export of advanced microchip printing machines from ASML, the Netherlands-based company, Europe’s largest technology company, to China.

It should be noted that China’s export restriction to Europe, especially critical elements used in chip production, came after this decision. (AA)