US accused of engaging in 'technological terrorism'

Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said on Wednesday that the United States is engaging in "technological terrorism" by pushing the Netherlands to ban a company from selling chipmaking technology to China.

"It is another example of the US practice of coercive diplomacy by abusing state power and wielding technological hegemony," Zhao said, referring to a Bloomberg report that said US officials are lobbying their Dutch counterparts to bar ASML Holding NV from selling to China mainstream technology essential for making a large chunk of the world's chips.

People familiar with the matter told Bloomberg that the Dutch government has yet to agree to any additional restrictions on ASML's exports to Chinese chipmakers, which could hurt the country's trade ties with China.