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The Netherlands

The latest news, analysis and opinion on The Netherlands. In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion.

Capital

Amsterdam

Head of State

King Willem-Alexander

Head of Government

Prime Minister Dick Schoof

Nexperia

Letters | The case for separating the Dutch and Chinese arms of Nexperia

Readers discuss the fight for control over the semiconductor company, the case of two skirt-wearing Malaysian women barred from entering a police station, and a potential ban on smoking at construction sites.

13 Dec 2025 - 11:30AM

Japan

Japan’s English skills crash to record low, behind Laos and Vietnam

12 Dec 2025 - 8:00AMvideocam

China-Japan relations

Donald Trump left facing ‘dilemma’ as China-Japan spat worsens: analyst

12 Dec 2025 - 12:29AMvideocam

China-EU relations

Beijing urges Dutch government to push for China visit by Nexperia execs

China’s Ministry of Commerce says trip by Dutch chip firm’s management should be made ‘as soon as possible’ amid heated war of words.

11 Dec 2025 - 4:55PM

The corporate conflict between Dutch semiconductor company Nexperia and its Chinese owner Wingtech has lasted for several weeks. Photo: Shutterstock

China-EU relations

As I see it | How Nexperia became a casualty of the US-China trade war

Unless the two superpowers reach a long-term solution to trade tensions, smaller companies and economies will get caught in the crossfire.

10 Dec 2025 - 5:30AMvideocam

China-EU relations

China leans on German carmakers to help break Brussels tariff deadlock

Commerce vice-minister urges German industry leaders to leverage their clout to push the European Commission towards a compromise on the anti-subsidy probe.

8 Dec 2025 - 8:58PM

China-EU relations

Macron’s trade ultimatum to China goes public: fix surplus or face tariffs

French president says EU could copy American protectionism, warning that a lopsided flow of goods results in China ‘effectively killing their own customers’.

8 Dec 2025 - 6:01PM

President Xi Jinping and French President Emmanuel Macron are seen here at a Unesco World Heritage site in Dujiangyan, Sichuan province, on Friday. Photo: AFP

China-EU relations

Dutch minister admits he was blindsided by China in Nexperia chip crisis

Karremans faces criticism after Beijing choked off chip flows and scrutiny of his move to invoke a Cold War-era security law.

6 Dec 2025 - 12:22AMvideocam

Israel-Gaza war

Israel cleared to stay in Eurovision as several countries boycott contest

The walkouts came after the general assembly of the European Broadcasting Union met to discuss concerns about Israel’s participation.

5 Dec 2025 - 2:21PM

Indonesia

Chinese executive named as suspect in Indonesia radioactive contamination probe

PT Peter Metal director Lin Jingzhang faces investigation after domestic scrap caused caesium-137 contamination and US export recalls.

5 Dec 2025 - 3:15AM

Police officers inspect trucks and record vehicle registration numbers at the Modern Cikande Industrial Estate, where the radioactive isotope caesium-137 was detected in October. Photo: AFP

China-Latin America relations

Trump seizes on China ‘ban’ in Brazil soy trade, but data shows US gains small

China halted imports of soybeans from five Brazil-based exporters after pesticide-treated wheat was found mixed into cargo bound for Beijing.

3 Dec 2025 - 7:34AMvideocam

US Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said on Tuesday that US farmers are benefiting from China’s recent ban on select Brazilian soybean shipments. Photo: Getty Images/TNS

China manufacturing

Factory of factories: China’s manufacturers join wave of overseas expansions

With many of their clients moving or building sites abroad, China’s factory owners are following suit, seizing a ‘last chance’ for new revenues.

11 Dec 2025 - 11:20AMvideocam

The Philippines

Did Philippine VP Sara Duterte’s jailbreak ‘joke’ keep her dad in ICC detention?

Observers said the ruling may energise loyalists but is unlikely to sway undecided voters or ease the rivalry shaping Philippine politics.

1 Dec 2025 - 7:48PMvideocam

Semiconductors

Tensions flare as Wingtech slams chipmaker Nexperia’s head office over deception

The heightened tensions underscore the complexity in resolving the two sides’ dispute over the control of the Dutch chipmaker.

28 Nov 2025 - 10:27PM

Nexperia

China, EU shift Nexperia strategy: let the companies work it out

Wang Wentao shifts focus to the boardroom but warns the Dutch government must still scrap the executive order and court ruling fuelling the crisis.

27 Nov 2025 - 10:06PMvideocam

Hong Kong economy

Hong Kong exports grow 17.5% in October as trade policy uncertainties ease

Value of goods exported from Hong Kong in October stood at HK$461.8 billion.

25 Nov 2025 - 9:40PM

Nexperia

Opinion | Netherlands’ Nexperia blunder shows it has forgotten its own history

The Netherlands’ pragmatic approach – separating commercial interests from geopolitical alignment – once made it a friend to all.

25 Nov 2025 - 4:30PMvideocam

Women and gender

Opinion | Together, we can move closer to eliminating violence against women

No jurisdiction is spared from gender-based violence. Thus international cooperation is essential to build momentum and find solutions.

25 Nov 2025 - 9:30AM

Protesters display the names and ages of victims of femicide in Bordeaux, France on November 22, ahead of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. Photo: AFP

Semiconductors

Wingtech says Nexperia’s headquarters remains silent on call for talks

In a statement, Wingtech reiterates its intention to fully regain its shareholder rights in the chipmaker.

24 Nov 2025 - 3:00PM

My Take

My Take | How China goes toe to toe with the West and softly-softly with the rest

Beijing rarely claims altruism. It always wants something from you, but most of the time, its approach is pragmatic, respectful and usually beneficial.

23 Nov 2025 - 10:15PM

Britain

Hard-right UK politician jailed for taking bribes to make pro-Russia statements

Nathan Gill, a former ally of Reform UK leader Nigel Farage, is believed to have pocketed at least US$53,000 in bribes.

21 Nov 2025 - 10:45PMvideocam

Reform UK’s former leader in Wales, Nathan Gill, arrives for a sentencing hearing on Friday. Photo: AFP

Semiconductors

Explainer | A timeline of the Sino-Dutch row over the control of chipmaker Nexperia

The Hague suspends use of Cold War-era law called upon to seize control of Chinese-owned Nexperia, as dispute imperils global supply chains.

21 Nov 2025 - 9:00PM

Nexperia’s Chinese owner, Wingtech Technology, aims to use all possible legal means to take back control of the Dutch chipmaker. Photo: Shutterstock

Semiconductors

Nexperia’s Chinese owner pledges to use ‘all legal means’ in fight for control

The case in Dutch courts could turn into a ‘marathon’ that takes up to three and a half years to fully resolve, legal experts say.

21 Nov 2025 - 3:57PMvideocam

US-China trade war

‘Close the loopholes’: US officials urge tougher chip rules to limit China gains

Lawmakers seek stronger BIS powers and more staff, saying Beijing could use one-year pause in export controls to advance domestic abilities.

21 Nov 2025 - 7:06AMvideocam

Semiconductors

China Future Tech webinar: assessing the impact of the Nexperia saga

Post reporters discuss the dispute’s apparent resolution, what happens next and what it means for the future of Chinese investments abroad.

20 Nov 2025 - 8:19PMvideocam

Nexperia’s packaging plant in Dongguan, Guangdong province, seen on November 7, 2025, produced up to 70 per cent of the company’s output. Photo: Reuters

US-China trade war

Exclusive | Top Democrat demands US probe into Chinese firms potentially supplying Nexperia

Letter by Raja Krishnamoorthi to US Commerce Department claims wafers made by China-based suppliers pose safety and reliability concerns.

20 Nov 2025 - 9:36AMvideocam

The head office of Chinese-owned chipmaker Nexperia in Nijmegen, Netherlands. A senior US Democrat has questioned the reliability of four Chinese semiconductor firms supplying the Dutch chipmaker. Photo: AP

SCMP Highlights

China-Japan feud, EU to probe Chinese lawnmowers: SCMP daily highlights

From Beijing vowing ‘further measures’ against Japan over Taiwan comments to relief for Nexperia, here’s a round-up from today’s coverage.

19 Nov 2025 - 9:15PM

US-China relations

Opinion | US-China rivalry is moving beyond guns and growth

In this new era of entangled competition, humans aren’t the only ones shaping state power; technological and material systems also produce geopolitical outcomes.

19 Nov 2025 - 8:32PMvideocam

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The Netherlands

.css-sioo19{color:#c79a00;}Letters | The case for separating the Dutch and Chinese arms of Nexperia

Readers discuss the fight for control over the semiconductor company, the case of two skirt-wearing Malaysian women barred from entering a police station, and a potential ban on smoking at construction sites.

Japan’s English skills crash to record low, behind Laos and Vietnam

Donald Trump left facing ‘dilemma’ as China-Japan spat worsens: analyst

Beijing urges Dutch government to push for China visit by Nexperia execs

China’s Ministry of Commerce says trip by Dutch chip firm’s management should be made ‘as soon as possible’ amid heated war of words.

.css-1m2rp1p{color:#34b8b5;}As I see it | How Nexperia became a casualty of the US-China trade war

Unless the two superpowers reach a long-term solution to trade tensions, smaller companies and economies will get caught in the crossfire.

China leans on German carmakers to help break Brussels tariff deadlock

Commerce vice-minister urges German industry leaders to leverage their clout to push the European Commission towards a compromise on the anti-subsidy probe.

Macron’s trade ultimatum to China goes public: fix surplus or face tariffs

French president says EU could copy American protectionism, warning that a lopsided flow of goods results in China ‘effectively killing their own customers’.

Dutch minister admits he was blindsided by China in Nexperia chip crisis

Karremans faces criticism after Beijing choked off chip flows and scrutiny of his move to invoke a Cold War-era security law.

Israel cleared to stay in Eurovision as several countries boycott contest

The walkouts came after the general assembly of the European Broadcasting Union met to discuss concerns about Israel’s participation.

Chinese executive named as suspect in Indonesia radioactive contamination probe

PT Peter Metal director Lin Jingzhang faces investigation after domestic scrap caused caesium-137 contamination and US export recalls.

Trump seizes on China ‘ban’ in Brazil soy trade, but data shows US gains small

China halted imports of soybeans from five Brazil-based exporters after pesticide-treated wheat was found mixed into cargo bound for Beijing.

Factory of factories: China’s manufacturers join wave of overseas expansions

With many of their clients moving or building sites abroad, China’s factory owners are following suit, seizing a ‘last chance’ for new revenues.

Did Philippine VP Sara Duterte’s jailbreak ‘joke’ keep her dad in ICC detention?

Observers said the ruling may energise loyalists but is unlikely to sway undecided voters or ease the rivalry shaping Philippine politics.

Tensions flare as Wingtech slams chipmaker Nexperia’s head office over deception

The heightened tensions underscore the complexity in resolving the two sides’ dispute over the control of the Dutch chipmaker.

China, EU shift Nexperia strategy: let the companies work it out

Wang Wentao shifts focus to the boardroom but warns the Dutch government must still scrap the executive order and court ruling fuelling the crisis.

Hong Kong exports grow 17.5% in October as trade policy uncertainties ease

Value of goods exported from Hong Kong in October stood at HK$461.8 billion.

Opinion | Netherlands’ Nexperia blunder shows it has forgotten its own history

The Netherlands’ pragmatic approach – separating commercial interests from geopolitical alignment – once made it a friend to all.

Opinion | Together, we can move closer to eliminating violence against women

No jurisdiction is spared from gender-based violence. Thus international cooperation is essential to build momentum and find solutions.

Wingtech says Nexperia’s headquarters remains silent on call for talks

In a statement, Wingtech reiterates its intention to fully regain its shareholder rights in the chipmaker.

My Take | How China goes toe to toe with the West and softly-softly with the rest

Beijing rarely claims altruism. It always wants something from you, but most of the time, its approach is pragmatic, respectful and usually beneficial.

Hard-right UK politician jailed for taking bribes to make pro-Russia statements

Nathan Gill, a former ally of Reform UK leader Nigel Farage, is believed to have pocketed at least US$53,000 in bribes.

Explainer | A timeline of the Sino-Dutch row over the control of chipmaker Nexperia

The Hague suspends use of Cold War-era law called upon to seize control of Chinese-owned Nexperia, as dispute imperils global supply chains.

Nexperia’s Chinese owner pledges to use ‘all legal means’ in fight for control

The case in Dutch courts could turn into a ‘marathon’ that takes up to three and a half years to fully resolve, legal experts say.

‘Close the loopholes’: US officials urge tougher chip rules to limit China gains

Lawmakers seek stronger BIS powers and more staff, saying Beijing could use one-year pause in export controls to advance domestic abilities.

China Future Tech webinar: assessing the impact of the Nexperia saga

Post reporters discuss the dispute’s apparent resolution, what happens next and what it means for the future of Chinese investments abroad.

Exclusive | Top Democrat demands US probe into Chinese firms potentially supplying Nexperia

Letter by Raja Krishnamoorthi to US Commerce Department claims wafers made by China-based suppliers pose safety and reliability concerns.

China-Japan feud, EU to probe Chinese lawnmowers: SCMP daily highlights

From Beijing vowing ‘further measures’ against Japan over Taiwan comments to relief for Nexperia, here’s a round-up from today’s coverage.

Opinion | US-China rivalry is moving beyond guns and growth

In this new era of entangled competition, humans aren’t the only ones shaping state power; technological and material systems also produce geopolitical outcomes.

Letters | The case for separating the Dutch and Chinese arms of Nexperia

As I see it | How Nexperia became a casualty of the US-China trade war