China calls on Netherlands to ‘adhere to strategic autonomy’, as US restrictions weigh on trade
- Premier Li Qiang spoke with Dutch counterpart Mark Rutte on Tuesday and discussed global supply chains, trade cooperation, the climate and the war in Ukraine
- The Dutch have been caught up in the US-China tech war after Washington banned high-end chip supplies to China in October
Chinese Premier Li Qiang has hailed the Netherlands as a “priority partner” within the European Union and called for jointly maintaining the operations of global supply chains, making him the latest high-ranking official to curry favour with the Hague and Brussels amid heightened tensions with the United States.
“[China] is willing to work together [with the Netherlands] to promote cooperation in various sectors to yield new results,” he said during a phone call with his Dutch counterpart on Tuesday, according to Xinhua.
While there was no mention of the United States in the report, Li highlighted the importance of jointly maintaining the smooth flow of the world’s industrial and supply chains.
“[China] hopes the Netherlands can help ensure that Europe will adhere to strategic autonomy, making greater contributions to the development of China-Europe ties,” he said.
China courts more ‘leadership exchanges’ with Europe to bolster business
In a Twitter post, Rutte said of his call with Li: “We discussed topics including our countries’ cooperation on trade and climate. Views were also exchanged on the war in Ukraine.”
The Netherlands has been caught in the crossfire of China-US tensions. Given pressure from Washington, the Dutch government has never granted ASML a licence to sell its most advanced products to Chinese customers.
The Dutch firm has a near-monopoly on the manufacturing of advanced lithography machines that are needed to produce cutting-edge chips.
In March, the Dutch government announced that it was mulling new export curbs in step with the US strategy to restrict China’s access to cutting-edge chips, prompting a formal protest from Beijing.
Wang Yiwei, director of Renmin University’s Centre for European Studies, said China does not pin too much hope on the Netherlands easing its restrictions on advanced semiconductor equipment, as ASML’s stakes and technology are also partially owned by US entities.
Chinese ambassador warns Netherlands against restricting ASML supplies
“Sino-Dutch relations play an important role [in China-Europe relations], as the Netherlands is the origin of capitalism and values free trade and the Chinese market,” he said.
During his call with Rutte on Tuesday, Li also reportedly said that “both China and Europe should practice true multilateralism and jointly oppose camp confrontation and a new cold war.”
His statement echoed a call by Foreign Minister Qin Gang during his three-nation trip to Europe last week, as he told the media in Oslo, Norway, that China and Europe should jointly oppose a “new cold war”, while deepening collaboration to promote common development and prosperity.
Relations between China and Europe have been further tested since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last year.
02:03
China to send envoy to Ukraine after Xi and Zelensky hold first call since Russian invasion
Speaking on Friday in Stockholm, where EU foreign ministers met to review the bloc’s China policy, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell reiterated a call for China to use its influence to end the Ukraine war, or their already strained relations would worsen.
Meanwhile, China trade ties are expected to be high on the agenda when leaders of the Group of 7’s advanced economies hold a summit on Friday, in the Japanese city of Hiroshima.
Wang from Renmin University said Beijing hopes its role as a peace broker in the Ukraine crisis can help get China-Europe relations back on track, which could deter the US from further decoupling or entering that “new cold war” with China.
