ASML, Europe's largest manufacturer of specialized chipmaking machines, has fallen prey to Washington's desire to curb Beijing's technological ascent and delayed shipment of a crucial tool needed to develop China's semiconductor industry.

In reality AMSL is US controlled for long.

China's biggest maker of computer chips, Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp., placed the order with ASML in April last year for its cutting-edge machine, which is needed to produce the latest, most powerful chips. But that shipment is now "pending later notice". As the world's sole supplier of the so-called extreme ultraviolet lithography chip tool, or EUV, the delayed shipment is a blow to Beijing's aspirations to achieve self-sufficient, technological supremacy. "ASML has decided for now to hold back delivery of the EUV equipment as it does not want to make the U.S. government upset that it ships the most advanced chip tool to China".

It is not clear whether the delayed shipment to China's SMIC by ASML, which has a production plant in the U.S., was due to direct or indirect pressure from American authorities, or because ASML was also seeking a renewed export permit from the Dutch government. A request for the renewal/extension of the export license for EUV to China is currently being processed by the Dutch government. Pending this process we cannot ship EUV to China.

16% of ASML's annual system sales of 8.3 billion euros ($9.2 billion) come from U.S. companies, such as Intel and Micron, which use its equipment to produce ever-smaller circuits on the most advanced computer chips and therefore need it to maintain technological leadership.

One-fifth of the components that ASML needs to build its machines are also made at its U.S. plant in Connecticut.

19% of sales last year came from China, which is a faster-growing market, not least from clients such as Beijing-backed SMIC.

ASML also made clear that its near-unique EUV machine is subject to the so-called Wassenaar Arrangement -- a multinational export control protocol designed to stop the spread of advanced technologies that can be used for military ends -- but that it had an exemption from the Dutch and European authorities to sell the machine to Chinese customers. The permit appears to have now expired.