Xi Jinping warns Dutch prime minister that limiting access to technology does not hinder China’s progress

Chinese President Xi Jinping told Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte this Wednesday in Beijing that attempts to limit China’s access to advanced technologies will not hinder the country’s progress.

In 2023, the Netherlands introduced export licensing requirements for the sale of equipment used in the production of advanced semiconductors. The move comes after the United States blocked China’s access to the chips and equipment needed to produce them, citing security concerns.

Washington urged its allies to follow suit.

In statements made on the occasion of Rutte’s visit to the country, Xi Jinping did not mention the specific case of equipment for the production of “chips”, but said that the creation of scientific and technological barriers and the fragmentation of industry and supplies. According to state television CCTV, the chains will lead to splits and confrontation .

“The Chinese people also have the legitimate right to development, and no force can stop the pace of China’s scientific and technological development and progress,” the Chinese leader said, also quoted by CCTV.

Mark Rutte and Trade Minister Geoffrey van Leeuwen will also discuss the wars in Ukraine and the Gaza Strip during meetings with Xi Jinping and Chinese Prime Minister Li Qiang, according to a Dutch government statement.

China has taken a neutral position in the war in Ukraine, providing Russia with diplomatic cover and economic support through trade. The stance has angered and upset much of Europe, an ally of Kyiv that views Russia as the aggressor.

“I will try to convey how important it is for the Netherlands, for our security, that Russia loses rather than wins,” Rutte said in a video message recorded on a street in Beijing’s historic district.

In a video posted on social media site X, Rutte also said he would address issues of intellectual property rights, subsidies and human rights.

The Dutch company ASML is the world’s only manufacturer of machines that use extreme ultraviolet lithography to produce advanced semiconductors.

In 2023, China became ASML’s second-largest market, accounting for 29% of its revenue, as Chinese companies acquired equipment before licensing requirements took effect.

Beijing has repeatedly accused the United States of trying to halt China’s economic development by limiting the country’s access to advanced technology. In response, Xi Jinping launched a campaign to develop domestic chips and other high-tech products.

“China always opposes the United States expanding the concept of national security and finding various excuses to force other countries to impose a technological blockade against China,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said in January.

ASML recently threatened to leave the country due to the anti-immigration policies adopted by the new leader.

Geoffrey van Leeuwen told Dutch economics newspaper The FD this week that protecting ASML’s interests was a top priority, but acknowledged that national security came before economic interests.

NATO and its growing ties with Asia could also be addressed at talks this Wednesday.

Rutte is a leading candidate to become the next leader of the Atlantic Alliance, an organization criticized by China for stoking regional tensions and encroaching on the Asia-Pacific region.

In a declaration adopted at NATO’s last summit in Lithuania in 2023, the organization called China a “systemic challenge.”

The declaration, endorsed by the leaders of the organization’s member countries, then stated that China’s “stated ambitions and coercive policies challenge the interests, security and values” of the Atlantic Alliance, a position that was immediately condemned by Beijing.