US Lawmakers Demand New Controls on Chip Tools for China

The United States is pushing its government to step up limits on the sale of high‑tech chipmaking equipment to China, arguing that the current rules leave gaps that could endanger national safety. Both House Select Committee on China and House Foreign Affairs chairs wrote a bipartisan letter to the Secretary of State and the Commerce Secretary. They urged Washington to press allies into adopting nationwide restrictions on any semiconductor manufacturing tools that China cannot produce itself. The letter also lists members from the South and Central Asia Subcommittee who want to block maintenance services for equipment already running in Chinese factories, saying that keeping those machines operational is vital.Lawmakers further asked the President’s office to give a briefing within one month on how it plans to secure allied cooperation for broad, country‑wide controls on critical semiconductor components. The warning comes after reports that Chinese researchers in Shenzhen have built a prototype machine based on the European firm ASML’s extreme ultraviolet lithography tools. Those devices are essential for making the most advanced chips used in AI, smartphones and Western military systems. Despite these breakthroughs, China still struggles with the precise optical technology that Western suppliers provide. The new restrictions aim to prevent further progress in areas deemed strategically important.