On December 12 (local time), Christophe Fouquet, CEO of ASML, shared his insights in an exclusive interview regarding the company's ban on exporting all extreme ultraviolet (EUV) equipment and the most advanced deep ultraviolet (DUV) lithography systems to China. He reiterated his stance that the West should regulate—or more precisely, calibrate—its technology exports to China to avoid spurring China into developing its own competitive technologies through independent research and development.

Fouquet further emphasized the need for the West to strike a nuanced balance in imposing technology export restrictions on China. He explained that, as a vast nation with a population of 1.4 billion, China would never accept being "technologically throttled" and would inevitably strive for technological progress.

Fouquet also disclosed that the equipment ASML currently exports to China lags eight generations behind the latest high numerical aperture lithography technology. Its technical capabilities are on par with the products ASML sold to Western customers in 2013 and 2014, indicating a technological gap of over a decade.

He voiced concerns that if the West imposes overly stringent restrictions, effectively cornering China, it would only push China to resolutely develop alternative products independently. In the long term, he warned, this could lead to the West forfeiting the enormous Chinese market entirely.