BEIJING (Reuters) -China and the Netherlands pledged on Thursday to deepen cooperation and communication amid “global challenges” by bolstering wider China-EU ties to tackle areas such as climate change and the green transition.
The two countries agreed to maintain close communication on cooperation in various fields including semiconductor technology, China’s foreign ministry said in a statement following a meeting between the two nation’s top diplomats.
They also pledged to uphold free trade and a multilateral trading system, the statement said.
Tension between the two nations has cooled in recent months after the Netherlands said in January it would widen export controls on semiconductors from April 1, following pressure from the United States to curb shipments to China.
During the meeting in Beijing, Foreign Minister Wang Yi told Dutch counterpart Caspar Veldkamp that China was willing to help contribute to China-EU relations and the recovery of the world economy, according to a pool report.
“China is willing to enhance communication and dialogue with the Netherlands, and deepen practical cooperation,” Wang told Veldkamp.
Veldkamp said the European Union and the Netherlands “want to work with China on the global challenges we’re facing together”.
He added, “I hope we can use this visit specifically also to explore deeper cooperation on such matters as climate and green transition, upholding the multilateral system and women’s rights.”
Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof also looks forward to a possible visit to China later this year, Veldkamp said.
Beijing has repeatedly criticised Washington’s strategy of pressuring allies such as the Netherlands and Japan to join export controls targeting Chinese access to cutting-edge chips and chipmaking equipment.
China, the world’s second largest economy, has said it opposed semiconductor curbs, part of a trend of some countries “expanding the concept of national security and abusing export controls”.
The move seriously threatened the stability of global semiconductor supply chains, the state-backed Global Times newspaper said in January.
Dutch national export licence requirements for semiconductor equipment were first introduced in 2023 under pressure from the United States to limit shipments to China, and they have been expanded several times.
Dutch chip equipment company, which ships lithography machines to China, has said the export measures would not affect its business outlook.
(Reporting by Farah Master in Hong Kong and Liz Lee in Beijing; Editing by Tom Hogue and Clarence Fernandez)
