Dutch Trade Minister Visits China as Nexperia China Operates Independently

Dutch Trade Minister Sjoerd Sjoerdsma met Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao in Beijing on July 7 to discuss the Nexperia dispute and broader trade ties. The three-day visit marks the first by a Dutch trade minister to China since 2018. Sjoerdsma described the meeting as frank yet forward-looking.

“We had a frank discussion, but also forward-looking, because I think both of us wanted to make a clean break with the previous period in which there were a lot of frictions and a lot of problems,” he said. Nexperia, headquartered in the Netherlands and owned by China’s Wingtech Technology, has been at the center of the dispute.

Dutch authorities intervened in the company in late 2025 over national security concerns.

Nexperia China, backed by Wingtech, declared independence from Nexperia Europe in May and began sourcing wafers from alternative Chinese suppliers. Sjoerdsma said Dutch and Chinese officials were cooperating closely on the matter. “I think the Chinese government and the Dutch government are cooperating extremely well together when it comes to Nexperia,” he said.

He added that any lasting settlement must come from an agreement between Nexperia Europe and its Chinese unit. The visit also touched on semiconductor export controls. Sjoerdsma defended the Dutch regime, stating its goal is to prevent sensitive materials from reaching destinations that could endanger security.

He expressed confidence that strict Dutch controls achieve this aim. The trip occurs as ASML faces U.S. pressure over chip equipment sales to China. U.S. lawmakers are considering the MATCH Act, which would tighten restrictions on advanced tools including ASML’s deep ultraviolet lithography systems.