Europe’s energy transition is not possible without China, warns Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation Minister Liesje Schreinemacher in an interview with the British business newspaper the Financial Times. Europe is trying to become less dependent on China, but it shouldn’t ‘disconnect’ completely, the minister said. “They do a lot of research and development and it would be a shame if we cut our ties completely.”
According to Schreinemacher, the Netherlands has strong trade relations with China. “We need each other to make our economies more sustainable and for the green transition.”
The G7, where the Netherlands sits at the table via the European Union, recently agreed to de-risk their ties with China. They want to do this, for example, by obtaining more raw materials from other countries and by developing clean technology sectors themselves.
Don’t cut all the way through
According to Schreinemacher, “reducing our strategic dependencies” does not mean cutting trade ties altogether “while we are still diversifying our material sources and supply chains.”
Schreinemacher also warns against screening investments in Chinese companies that are working on innovative technologies ahead of time. According to the minister, it is a ‘very heavy instrument’ to protect the economic interests of the country. According to her, the Netherlands wants to know in advance what the goal is and how this can be achieved.
Over the past decade, the Dutch economy has become increasingly intertwined with the Chinese one. Chinese Minister Qin Qang said this week in a conversation with his counterpart Wopke Hoekstra that China wants to further deepen its economic relations with the Netherlands. The Chinese minister said that the Netherlands is China’s gateway to the EU.
Source: BNR
Sharon Rock is an author and journalist who writes for 24 News Globe. She has a passion for learning about different cultures and understanding the complexities of the world. With a talent for explaining complex global issues in an accessible and engaging way, Sharon has become a respected voice in the field of world news journalism.
