Why did the Netherlands suddenly back down? A key action by China is crucial, even the United States has no words to say!
On November 7, 2025, Dutch Minister of Economic Affairs Michelle Cramer released a statement addressing the dispute between China and the Netherlands over NXP Semiconductor. This seemingly brief message actually sent a clear signal: the Netherlands is preparing to "pause" the takeover action against this Chinese-controlled semiconductor company.
On the same day, several Western media outlets cited information from multiple informed sources, stating that if negotiations go smoothly in the coming days, the Netherlands could formally announce the suspension of the takeover procedure as early as next week.
So what caused the Netherlands to suddenly back down? The answer lies in a specific and critical action: China implemented targeted exemptions for the export of certain rare earths and key materials.
Faced with this situation, the Netherlands was actually in a dilemma: on one side, the United States pressured it to restrict Chinese semiconductor companies, while on the other side, European industry strongly opposed it. More importantly, China holds the card of rare earths; without these materials, not only advanced chips, but even basic power devices would be difficult to produce.
This time, China did not take a complete supply cut, but instead demonstrated flexibility through a "exemption + conditions" approach. For example, normal exports were maintained for European companies that cooperated with the negotiations and did not participate in the technology blockade against China, while entities that insisted on cooperating with the U.S. to suppress Chinese companies faced tightened approval. This precise policy-making avoided harming the innocent and made the Netherlands clearly see the stakes involved.
In contrast, the Netherlands' proposal of "pausing the takeover in exchange for China resuming supplies" was clearly rejected by China. China emphasized that the prerequisite for solving the problem is for the Netherlands to first stop interfering with the normal operations of the enterprise, rather than setting transaction conditions in reverse. In other words, China does not accept the logic of "giving a sweetener first and then discussing corrections."
Original text: www.toutiao.com/article/1848203113558275/
Statement: This article represents the personal views of the author.