[1/2] Dutch Foreign Minister Wopke Hoekstra attends a news conference after talks with his Chinese counterpart Qin Gang in Beijing, China, 23 May 2023. REUTERS/Thomas Peter/Pool
BEIJING, May 23 (Reuters) – Protecting the Dutch economy and cyberspace is a top priority for the Netherlands, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Wopke Hoekstra said in China on Tuesday, while Western governments have taken an increasingly defensive stance on Beijing.
Hoekstra was the first Dutch minister to visit China since the world’s second largest economy reopened its borders after three years of travel restrictions due to COVID-19.
Western governments have accused China of “economic coercion”, illegal technology transfer and data disclosure. There are also concerns about protecting advanced technology from Chinese companies.
“Like China, we have a responsibility to protect our national security, and just as China protects its core interests, we also protect ours,” Hoekstra said at a joint news conference with his Chinese counterpart in Beijing.
The Netherlands, a supplier of advanced chip-making machinery to China, is poised to impose export restrictions on semiconductor technology in the name of national security, joining US efforts to curb chip shipments to China.
“We have raised our national security concerns,” Hoekstra said when asked by the media about Chinese threats to the Netherlands’ economic security.
He declined to elaborate but said he had a “frank” and “sincere” dialogue with Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang earlier Tuesday.
Hoekstra said he shares the Netherlands’ concerns about cyber operations carried out from Chinese territory and reports of foreign interference on Dutch territory, including against journalists.
SEMICONDUCTOR TECHNOLOGY
The Dutch plan on export controls had previously led to a complaint from China, which called on the Dutch side not to follow the “abuse” of export measures by “certain countries”.
The United States imposed export restrictions on shipments of American chipmaking tools to China in October, but for the restrictions to take effect they needed approval from other key chipmaking technology suppliers in the Netherlands and Japan.
Japan has already announced it will restrict exports of 23 types of semiconductor manufacturing equipment from July, a move that has also angered Beijing.
“Regarding the issue of lithography machines, China has serious concerns,” Qin told reporters.
“Since both China and the Netherlands are important trading partners for each other, we believe that we should work together to jointly protect the normal trading order between us and international trade rules, and together keep global industrial and supply chains stable.”
At a second press conference at the Dutch embassy, Hoekstra said the planned Dutch export controls are not targeted at any country.
“We expect to release details before the summer,” he said.
Hoekstra added that China is “enormously” important as an economic power.
When asked if China was a priority partner for the Netherlands, he replied: “Absolutely.”
Reporting by Ryan Woo, editing by Ed Osmond
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