Between Trade and Security: The Impact of Chinese Espionage and Unwanted Interference on Sino-Dutch Relations

In recent years, countries all over the world have seen a great number of alleged cases of Chinese espionage and unwanted interference. The Netherlands is no exception. Instances of Chinese espionage and interference have become a ‘hot topic’ for Dutch media and politicians and seemingly caused much concern about national security, but to what extent did this reach the bilateral relations between the Netherlands and China? To provide more insight into this topic, this thesis aims to answer the question: how has Chinese espionage and unwanted interference impacted Sino-Dutch relations? It finds that while there have been increasing frictions between the Netherlands and China, also due to other issues, Sino-Dutch relations have not been significantly impacted by Chinese espionage and unwanted interference. This is due to several reasons, of which the most significant one is that the Netherlands has refrained from too much confrontation and for any actions that the Netherlands does...Show moreIn recent years, countries all over the world have seen a great number of alleged cases of Chinese espionage and unwanted interference. The Netherlands is no exception. Instances of Chinese espionage and interference have become a ‘hot topic’ for Dutch media and politicians and seemingly caused much concern about national security, but to what extent did this reach the bilateral relations between the Netherlands and China? To provide more insight into this topic, this thesis aims to answer the question: how has Chinese espionage and unwanted interference impacted Sino-Dutch relations? It finds that while there have been increasing frictions between the Netherlands and China, also due to other issues, Sino-Dutch relations have not been significantly impacted by Chinese espionage and unwanted interference. This is due to several reasons, of which the most significant one is that the Netherlands has refrained from too much confrontation and for any actions that the Netherlands does take China blames the United States. Besides, other issues in the past, have also never had a significant impact on Sino-Dutch relations. However, while so far espionage and unwanted interference have not significantly impacted Sino-Dutch relations, it is uncertain whether the bilateral will remain as robust, especially because of geopolitical issues and a potentially more assertive Netherlands.Show less

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Between Trade and Security: The Impact of Chinese Espionage and Unwanted Interference on Sino-Dutch Relations