China Wants a Chip Machine From the Dutch. The U.S. Said No.

The one-of-a-kind, 180-ton machines are used by companies including Intel Corp. INTC -1.51%, South Korea's Samsung Electronics Co. and leading Apple Inc. supplier Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. to make the chips in everything from cutting-edge smartphones and 5G cellular equipment to computers used for artificial intelligence. China wants the $150-million machines for domestic chip makers, so smartphone giant Huawei Technologies Co. and other Chinese tech companies can be less reliant on foreign suppliers. But ASML hasn't sent a single one because the Netherlands--under pressure from the U.S.--is withholding an export license to China. The Biden administration has asked the government to restrict sales because of national-security concerns, according to U.S. officials. The stance is a holdover from the Trump White House, which first identified the strategic value of the machine and reached out to Dutch officials.