A report released on July 3 by the Hague Centre for Strategic Studies (HCSS) and the China Knowledge Network (CKN) warns that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is employing a broad range of foreign interference tactics to expand its influence over the Netherlands’ strategic industries, particularly the semiconductor, maritime, and aerospace sectors. The report identifies cyber espionage, talent recruitment, economic coercion, information operations, legal pressure, and supply chain leverage as key tools used by Beijing.
The report identifies Dutch semiconductor giant ASML as a primary target because of its global monopoly on commercial extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography machines, which are essential for producing advanced semiconductors used in cutting-edge electronics and military systems. According to the report, the CCP has sought to acquire ASML’s technology through talent recruitment, academic collaboration, and reverse engineering, while also using rare earth export controls to exert pressure on the company’s supply chain. Other semiconductor firms, including NXP, are also identified as targets.
In the maritime sector, the report warns that Chinese state-owned enterprises, including COSCO Shipping Ports and China Merchants Port Holdings, have established significant operational roles at the Port of Rotterdam. It cautions that, in a crisis, Beijing could exploit these positions through cyber espionage, data access, or targeted disruption, potentially affecting European energy supplies, industrial production, and NATO logistics. The report concludes that China’s growing influence over Dutch strategic industries could constrain the Netherlands’ policy options, delay military preparedness, and complicate coordination with allies in the event of a Taiwan Strait conflict.
Source: Epoch Times, July 16, 2026
https://www.epochtimes.com/gb/26/7/15/n14810251.htm