China Sharpens Criticism of US Chip-Equipment Bill as Trump Arrives in Beijing
May 13, 2026 – 11:44 am
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Beijing’s foreign ministry hit out at the MATCH Act, which would tighten controls on semiconductor manufacturing equipment, on the eve of Donald Trump’s arrival in Beijing for a state visit and summit with Xi Jinping.
The Chinese foreign ministry described the legislation as further evidence of what spokesperson Lin Jian has called Washington’s “overstretching of the concept of national security” and “malicious blocking and suppression” of Chinese industry.
The timing is significant. Trump and Xi are scheduled to meet on Thursday and Friday, with trade, AI, export controls, Taiwan, and the war in Iran on the agenda, and chip equipment being one of the most sensitive issues.
The Multilateral Alignment of Technology Controls on Hardware Act (MATCH Act), introduced by Representative Michael Baumgartner, cleared the House Foreign Affairs Committee on April 22. This legislation names SMIC, Huawei, Hua Hong, CXMT, and YMTC as "covered facilities" and would prohibit the export to them of deep-ultraviolet immersion lithography equipment currently sold legally into China by ASML.
It also includes a provision banning allied firms from servicing machines already installed in Chinese fabs, which would degrade existing capacity over time since these systems require regular maintenance to maintain yield.
Most significantly for diplomacy, it gives the Netherlands and Japan 150 days to align their export rules with Washington’s or face unilateral enforcement via an expanded Foreign Direct Product Rule.
ASML, the sole supplier of the most advanced DUV systems, has already guided that its China revenue will fall to roughly 20% in 2026 from 33% the previous year if the MATCH Act becomes law. Applied Materials and Lam Research have also projected substantial losses due to potential export restrictions.
China has already responded with Order No. 834, a supply-chain security regulation monitored by more than 15 agencies, which authorises legal action against companies deemed to be harming Chinese supply chains. Beijing has implemented targeted restrictions on gallium, germanium, antimony, seven medium and heavy rare earths, and silver over the past 18 months.