Xi Jinping: no one and nothing will stop China's technological development

During his negotiations with Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte on March 27, Chinese President Xi Jinping made several bold statements that were widely quoted by the media of many countries.

For example, Xi was quoted by CNBC, citing the Xinhua agency, as saying, 'The Chinese people have the legitimate right to development, and no force can stop China's scientific and technological progress.'

According to its leader, the Celestial Empire still prefers a win-win, mutually beneficial approach to relations with other countries, where both sides benefit from cooperation.

Relations between China and the Netherlands, like those with most European countries recently, leave much to be desired. The Dutch complied with the persistent request of their overseas allies who declared technological war on Beijing and banned the export of advanced technologies for manufacturing modern chips to China. The ban was imposed due to fears that the Chinese would use the chips, equipment, and technologies for military purposes.

ASML, the Dutch IT giant, is currently the only company in the world that produces photolithographic machines (EUVL) operating in ultra-hard ultraviolet light. However, due to pressure from the Rutte government, ASML does not sell these machines to China. As a result, Beijing does not have a single such machine, which is crucial for the production of modern chips. Chip manufacturers, such as the Taiwanese company TSMC, rely on them to produce the smallest and most complex semiconductors. These semiconductors are essential components in modern gadgets, ranging from smartphones to electric cars.
In January 2024, the Dutch government prohibited ASML from exporting submicron photolithography machines (DUVs), the second-to-last generation of equipment capable of producing less advanced chips, to China.

Beijing criticized The Hague for the ban and urged it to adopt an objective stance and respect market principles, as it benefits both countries and Chinese and Dutch companies.

During the talks with Rutte, the Chinese leader emphasized that creating scientific and technological barriers and breaking industrial ties and supply chains only leads to division and confrontation.

Xi is confident that cooperation is the only path to development and added that severing ties cannot be a solution in the current situation. China is willing to maintain a dialogue with the Netherlands. The Chinese President also urged the Dutch side to provide fair and transparent working conditions for Chinese businesses.

In response, Rutte assured Xi that the Netherlands had implemented export restrictions on the semiconductor sector and ASML products without targeting any specific country.

The Dutch prime minister added that they always try to minimize the impact of such measures.

The Chinese state media highlighted Mark Rutte's statement that severing ties with China would be detrimental to the Dutch government, as any action aimed at slowing down China's development would have negative consequences. Rutte warned that such actions would come back to hit its author like a boomeran