Foreign media: Netherlands plans to ban Chinese students from studying semiconductor courses

According to Bloomberg, people familiar with the matter revealed that the Dutch government is developing legislation to ban Chinese students from taking university courses in sensitive technologies such as semiconductors and defense. While language in the planned legislation may avoid specific mention of China, the clear intention is to prevent students from the Asian country from being exposed to sensitive material in their studies, people familiar with the matter said.

The measures, still in the drafting stage, are the latest escalation in a diplomatic battle between the Netherlands and China over the semiconductor industry. The Dutch government agreed earlier this year to join U.S. efforts to further restrict exports of chip technology to China and began investigating a Chinese company's acquisition of local chipmaker Nowi, heightening tensions with one of its largest trading partners.

According to an emailed statement, the Dutch Ministry of Education confirmed that it is developing measures to implement mandatory screening of students and researchers in sensitive subject areas. The ministry said it said any measures would be country-neutral and not targeted at any particular country.

The Netherlands, one of the world's leading sources of the machinery and expertise needed to make advanced semiconductors, is facing growing pressure from Washington to help establish a global blockade to stifle Beijing's rise in chipmaking. But ASML is the most valuable technology company in the country and Europe, and China is one of its biggest customers.

The Dutch have been seeking a middle ground between the United States and China in the escalating battle for the global chip supply chain. The Dutch move to expand restrictions on exports of the latest semiconductor technology appears to go further than steps taken by the Biden administration last year as the United States led efforts to restrict exports of machinery and technology to China.

The Dutch government recently implemented the Investment, Mergers and Acquisitions Security Test Act, which enables it to limit the size of investments or block transactions with international companies on national security grounds. The Financial Times earlier reported, citing an interview with Dutch Education Minister Robert Dickgraf, that the government planned to vet international students from China due to potential risks to national security.

Dutch universities currently independently decide on admissions for international students and researchers applying to sensitive programmes. They can choose to contact a government-led problem booth to find out how to deal with these issues. In 2022, universities put 89 questions to the government; 52 related to China, 21 to Russia and 16 to Iran, Dijkgraaf said in a letter to parliament in December.

In April, ASML and Eindhoven University of Technology announced a "hundreds of millions of euros" joint research program in artificial intelligence and semiconductor lithography. The program will include ASML clean rooms on university campuses and company engineers teaching international scientific talent, and will create up to 40 PhD positions annually, according to a statement.