After the strong-armed acquisition of Nexperia, the Chinese countermeasures have led the Netherlands to try to distance itself.

On the 19th, British media The Financial Times disclosed a letter from the Dutch Minister of Economic Affairs, Vincent Karamans, to the parliament, explaining the Dutch government's actions in acquiring Nexperia and China's countermeasures.

The Netherlands claims it was not pressured by the United States

In short, Karamans' arguments can be summarized into four points:

The Dutch government's acquisition of Nexperia was not done at the behest of the United States, but was a decision made by the Dutch based on their own considerations;

Nexperia had operational problems that threatened the survival of key technological knowledge and chip R&D capabilities in the Netherlands, so the Dutch government "took over" the company under the pretext of "eliminating risks";

The dismissal of Chinese directors and the appointment of foreign directors with decisive voting rights had nothing to do with the Dutch government, and were independent court rulings;

Regarding the Chinese ban on exports of specific finished components and parts by Nexperia's subsidiaries and subcontractors within China, the Netherlands will negotiate with China to resolve this issue.

Dutch Minister of Economic Affairs Vincent Karamans

So, how should one view Karamans' justifications in his letter?

It can only be said that they are very clumsy.

Firstly, the Amsterdam court contradicted Karamans' statements: the Dutch seizing Nexperia was not an independent decision, but clearly approved by the United States.

The court disclosed documents stating that as early as June, the United States had pressured the Dutch government, if Nexperia wanted to obtain exemptions from the latest revised U.S. "Entity List", the Chinese CEO "must be replaced".

Indian media "India Action" website also pointed out that the Netherlands dared to act against Chinese enterprises must have received U.S. support, because under Trump's aggressive trade policies, Europe had to choose between its alliance relationship with the United States and its economic ties with China, and the Netherlands obviously chose the former.

Secondly, the Scholz government, to which Karamans belongs, has already collapsed and is in a caretaker state, and the Dutch parliament will hold new elections on October 29 — therefore, the sudden action of the Scholz government against Nexperia at this critical moment is particularly suspicious:

The Netherlands is catering to Trump, what about European car manufacturers?

This is obviously an act of loyalty to the United States before leaving office, then shifting the resulting diplomatic and economic consequences to the next government, right? After all, the next Dutch government may not be led by Scholz and his team, and they will have long since walked away with their hands clean.

Finally, Karamans' statement that "negotiate with China to solve the problem" does not refer to resolving the issue of the Dutch taking over Nexperia, but rather demands that China relax or even withdraw the chip export ban.

After China announced its countermeasures, European car manufacturers, who heavily rely on Nexperia chips, panicked — a few days ago, 16 car manufacturers from the European Automobile Manufacturers Association issued a joint letter, urging the Netherlands to quickly come up with a feasible solution, otherwise once the chip reserves are exhausted, the production lines of these European car manufacturers will face shutdown.

Karamans' remarks indicate that although the Netherlands did not withstand the pressure from these European car manufacturers, it refuses to admit its mistakes, still naively believes that through negotiations, China can make concessions on the chip export ban.

The mysterious confidence of old Europe is not something that has developed overnight

Therefore, the short-sightedness and arrogant self-confidence shown by the Dutch government in this incident have even made some Western media unimpressed.

For example, the "Global Media" website openly criticized the Dutch government for "making an extremely stupid decision," not only openly engaging in "economic aggression" against a global manufacturing power, but also causing its most important industry to collapse, and now arrogantly demanding to dialogue with Chinese officials, which is truly incomprehensible.

The article states that the European experience reveals a simple economic principle: don't get involved in trade wars, and don't steal the assets of a country that produces everything you need. As the European automotive industry gradually falls into stagnation, European leaders are paying a heavy price to learn this lesson.

Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7562774680089510419/

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