A Dutch scholar has warned that government intervention in Chinese-owned chipmaker Nexperia risks backfiring on the Netherlands, damaging its global image and threatening Dutch business interests in China. The Dutch government said on Oct 12 that it had made a "highly exceptional" decision to intervene in Nexperia, a subsidiary of Chinese company Wingtech, citing concerns that it could "pose a risk to Dutch and European economic security."
That move followed a September 30 administrative order from the Ministry of Economic Affairs, which restricted Nexperia’s business decisions and its affiliated entities.
In an interview with China Media Group (CMG), Henk Overbeek, professor emeritus at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, said the decision could also harm Dutch companies operating in China. He emphasized that diplomatic dialogue should have preceded the intervention, warning of potential repercussions.
"My first reaction when I heard this on October 12 or 13 when the news came out is this is really, first, it's very stupid. Second, it's very dangerous for all those Dutch companies that operate in China that have establishment in China. Because there will be repercussions and now it's good news that there is diplomatic contact between the Chinese government and the Dutch government. But that should have happened before the intervention, in my view," he said.
Meanwhile, European auto industry officials say Nexperia has yet to resume shipments to China, deepening the region’s ongoing chip shortage.
"It's important enough in itself because in Europe it's one of the major chip suppliers and the European auto industry is heavily dependent, not completely, but heavily dependent on Nexperia. But the as I tried to explain, I think that the importance goes beyond the this particular importance of Nexperia," Overbeek said.
According to China's Ministry of Commerce, China agreed to the Netherlands dispatching personnel to China for consultations.
Overbeek stressed that the Nexperia dispute has escalated beyond the company itself and now demands a diplomatic resolution between governments.
"It's clear that there will have to be a diplomatic solution. The solution can no longer be found at the level of Nexperia itself. This has now become a diplomatic issue between the Chinese and the Dutch government and between China and the European Union. So that the solution has to be has to come from diplomatic contacts between the two sides," he said.
Dutch intervention against Chinese chipmaker Nexperia will backfire: expert
Dutch intervention against Chinese chipmaker Nexperia will backfire: expert
An exchange program between China and France has provided thousands of French students with the opportunity to attend Chinese universities over the past year, giving them a comprehensive and multidimensional view of the country through their studies.
In 2024, China proposed an initiative aimed at bringing the total number of French students in China to more than 10,000 and doubling the number of young Europeans on exchange programs to China within the next three years.
Then, in June of that year, the education ministries of China and France jointly launched the Young Envoys Scholarship (YES) program during the first China-France Education Development Forum held in Paris.
Among the students to take advantage of the program is Mathis Champaigne, a French master's exchange student from the Institute of Higher Electronic Education (ISEP) in Paris. Through YES, he arrived at the School of Artificial Intelligence and Automation, Huazhong University of Science and Technology (HUST) this September for a five-month study program.
According to the student, the program offered a valuable opportunity to learn about artificial intelligence (AI) from renowned scholars.
"In this country, you are very advanced in this AI field and so you have a lot of researchers, a lot of universities, very involved in this AI research. So for me that was an opportunity to learn from a great professor in a great university," Champaigne said.
Currently, 29 French students from seven French universities are studying at HUST across various majors, for periods ranging from two weeks to a full academic year. For some, a short-term exchange can give way to deeper ambitions.
"I want to extend my semester and stay longer because I feel like here the campus is made for students to have good experience while studying," said another YES program participant of HUST, an undergraduate student from the University of Strasbourg.
Since the initiative was proposed over a year ago, more than 8,300 French students have come to China for exchanges and studies, helping to spur a broader trend across Europe, with about 32,000 students from across the continent having chosen to undertake exchange programs in China.
The program also partners with other Chinese institutions, including the East China University of Science and Technology (ECUST), where exchange students have had similarly successful experiences.
"So, the YES program is a really good program to study abroad and you can choose many different topics and minors. I think that's the best way to see China," said Paul Ferrigno, another YES program participant of ECUST, a graduate student from Montpellier Higher College of Chemistry.
"And engineers in the future, they will have to see by themselves how this country is changing very quickly, how this country is very good in innovation, research, technology, and finally how China is addressing global warming and sustainable development," said Jacques Mercadier, French dean of the International Elite Engineering School of ECUST.
Exchange program fosters China-France partnership in talent cultivation
