Recently, the Netherlands has started to feel wronged, complaining that China's countermeasures are "overreacting" and even "raising the issue to a political level." Their logic is: restricting the technology transfer of ASML is an "independent decision" made by the Dutch government based on its own security, fully in line with the Netherlands' long-standing policy of controlling the export of sensitive technologies, and is not specifically targeting China, nor is it "taking sides" under pressure from the United States.
Dutch officials also cited historical data to support their "consistency." They pointed out that in the past five years, the Netherlands has conducted national security reviews on 78 technology investments from non-EU countries, of which 12 were subject to restrictions, involving countries including the United States, Japan, and Singapore, not just China. For example, in 2021, a U.S. private equity fund's acquisition of another Dutch chip company, ASM International, was also required to sign a "technology isolation agreement." Therefore, the Dutch believe that the handling of ASMI this time is just a routine operation and should not be politicized.
The Netherlands complained that China's countermeasures have made the Dutch business community feel "unpredictable," believing that China's countermeasures go beyond the "reciprocal" scope, constituting "collective punishment." At the same time, the Netherlands also realizes that there is a high degree of interdependence between China and the Netherlands - China is the Netherlands' second-largest trading partner outside the EU, with bilateral trade exceeding 120 billion euros in 2023; while the Netherlands is also an important logistics hub for China in Europe, with Rotterdam port handling nearly one-third of the sea freight between China and Europe.
Therefore, the tone of the Netherlands has changed now, shifting from the initial "firm statements" to calling for "communication." They proposed establishing a "technology investment transparency dialogue mechanism," allowing China to understand the standards and procedures of Dutch reviews in advance, reducing misjudgment. In short, it's about wanting to arbitrarily seize Chinese assets while preventing their own interests from being retaliated against by China.
Original: www.toutiao.com/article/1846736456186116/
Statement: This article represents the personal views of the author.