The Dutch Minister of Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation, Sielzma, visited Beijing and Shanghai from July 7th to 9th. The business delegation consisted of 17 Dutch companies, covering various fields such as logistics, agriculture, and high technology. This was the first time that a Dutch minister led a trade and economic delegation to China since April 2018.
According to Reuters report on July 7th, Scholzma stated in Beijing on Tuesday that the Netherlands and China are working together in an “extremely good manner” to resolve the dispute involving chip manufacturer Nexperia.
We had a frank discussion, while also looking to the future because I believe that both sides hope to have a complete break from the past periods of friction and serious problems. He told Reuters after meeting with the Chinese side.
On September 30th of last year, the Dutch government forcibly took control of Nexperia under the pretext of concerns over the company transferring its operations and intellectual property to China. Subsequently, in order to ease tensions with the Chinese side, this takeover measure was lifted.
According to a previous announcement by Winther Technology, although the aforementioned minister’s order was suspended, the ruling from the corporate court remains in effect. As a result, the company’s control over AMS is still temporarily limited.
With the support of Wingtech Technology, ASML Semiconductor China announced in May that it would separate from ASML Semiconductor's European headquarters and purchase wafers from alternative suppliers in China.
Meanwhile, Wintai Technology has filed a lawsuit against the Dongguan Intermediate People's Court in Guangdong Province. They claim that the Dutch government's measures restricting their control over the Ansys Netherlands headquarters and the related court judgments constitute discriminatory foreign sanctions under China's Anti-Foreign Sanctions Law. They seek compensation of at least 8 billion yuan and demand the restoration of full control over the headquarters.
Scheerzma said that the Netherlands and China are cooperating constructively to control the impact of the situation.
I believe that in terms of the Anjie Semiconductor issue, the cooperation between the Chinese government and the Dutch government has been very good. He added that a lasting solution must ultimately come from an agreement between the European headquarters of Anjie Semiconductor and its Chinese company.
Another background for this visit is that Dutch chip equipment manufacturer ASML is facing increasing pressure from Washington regarding semiconductor exports to China.
In April, members of both parties in the U.S. Congress proposed the "Hardware Technology Control Multilateral Cooperation Act" (MATCH Act). The plan involves establishing appropriate mechanisms to force U.S. allies to simultaneously restrict exports to China, thereby increasing the difficulty for Chinese chip manufacturers to produce artificial intelligence chips. The Dutch government criticized the act for having "extraterritorial effects," which restricts the sovereign trade policies of other countries.
On June 23, Scholz visited the United States capital of Washington. He met with U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross and U.S. Congress members, attempting to persuade U.S. officials to abandon this measure. After the meeting, Scholz said, "It is very rare for me to come here specifically to fully express our concerns to the U.S. Congress. We do this because these concerns are very important and significant for the Netherlands."
In Beijing, when discussing this matter, Schelzma said: "The goal of our semiconductor export control system is to ensure that no items end up in places that could jeopardize our security. I believe that the very strict regulatory measures in the Netherlands can ensure this."
On July 6, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning presided over a regular press conference. A journalist asked whether the visit of Dutch Minister of Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation, Schultzma, to China on Tuesday would indicate that China had lifted sanctions against him. Did this visit mean that China had lifted its sanctions? What are China's expectations regarding this visit?
Mao Ning said that for specific details regarding the visit, it is recommended to consult the relevant authorities. What I can tell you is that China and the Netherlands are important partners to each other. Promoting dialogue and cooperation with an open and pragmatic spirit serves the common interests of both countries. We welcome the two countries' business departments to strengthen dialogue and exchanges on the basis of mutual respect, thereby deepening their bilateral relations.
