The Netherlands’ trade chief and his delegation will come at a pivotal diplomatic moment, as The Hague faces pressure from US tech-export laws
A Dutch minister who was previously sanctioned by Beijing will lead a business delegation to China in early July, according to a source familiar with the planning, as the two nations navigate thorny bilateral issues such as newly proposed US export curbs on ASML chipmaking tools and the Nexperia ownership debacle.
Sjoerdsma is poised to be the first minister from the new Dutch government, sworn in on February 23, to visit China. The specific members of his trade delegation were not immediately clear.
China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Sjoerdsma’s office did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Wednesday.
Beijing sanctioned Sjoerdsma in 2021 following his criticism of alleged human rights abuses in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region – charges that Beijing has long denied. The restrictions on him were lifted in recent months, a source told the South China Morning Post earlier, though no official announcement has been made.
Source: News - South China Morning Post
