For years, the U.S.-China tech war followed a predictable script: America imposed sanctions, and China absorbed the blows. But in the summer of 2025, China flipped the script entirely.
This video documents the moment the game changed. After the West made a devastating move to cut off all after-sales service for ASML's advanced lithography machines in China—effectively trying to brick billions of dollars in equipment—Beijing unleashed an unprecedented counter-strike. We uncover the details of the shocking ultimatum delivered to ASML, Europe's most valuable tech company: a demand to repurchase every machine ever sold to China, a liability potentially exceeding $24 billion.
This isn't a story of desperation. It's the story of the "weaponized customer." We'll show you how China’s own domestic breakthroughs in semiconductor equipment, like the 28nm lithography machine, gave it the confidence to turn the tables. This is a new, dangerous phase of economic warfare where contracts are broken, intellectual property is threatened, and the world’s largest market has become the ultimate choke point.
👉 Is this a brilliant strategic move by China, or a reckless escalation that will fracture the global economy? Let us know your take in the comments.
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📍 Chapters: 00:00 – The Rules Have Changed: A New Phase in the Tech War 01:18 – Declaration of Total War: The West Cuts Off ASML Services 02:47 – The Ultimatum: China's $24 Billion Counter-Strike 05:54 – The "Plan B": How Domestic Tech Enabled China's Audacious Move 07:55 – The Weaponized Customer: The New Rules of Economic Warfare
