Earlier, the United States, the Netherlands and Japan already decided to restrict the export of advanced chip technologies to China to ensure that the country cannot develop the most modern semiconductors. That would be necessary for national and international security, because these high-quality chips can also be used for military purposes. For example, chip machine maker ASML is no longer allowed to export high-quality equipment to China.
Germany itself does not have technologies for the production of advanced chips. However, the German chemical companies Merck and BASF do supply important chemicals all over the world that are necessary for making these semiconductors.
According to the insiders, the talks within the German government coalition about such export restrictions are still at an early stage. The stakes are high for Germany as China has become the country’s largest trading partner.
According to insiders, no pressure was put on Germany from Washington to limit the export of chemicals to China. Chancellor Scholz has previously advocated making the German economy less dependent on China, but he believes that this should be done gradually.
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