#48 Beyond Borders: Chinese Use of Foreign Interference Tactics in Dutch Strategic Industries

Geopolitical competition in the twenty-first century is increasingly shaped not only by territorial conquest but by control over strategic industries, technological capabilities, and critical supply chains. In this environment, states seek to secure long-term economic dominance, technological leadership, and national security by influencing or dominating key industrial ecosystems. For open, innovation-driven economies, such as the Netherlands, this shift has significant implications.

This report examines how the People’s Republic of China (the PRC, also known as China) employs foreign interference tactics to target strategic industries in the Netherlands. It focuses on three sectors that are simultaneously pillars of Dutch economic strength and sources of strategic vulnerability: semiconductors, maritime, and aerospace. Together, these sectors underpin national prosperity, European supply chains, and transatlantic security, while also being deeply embedded in global markets and knowledge networks.

The report has three objectives. First, it conceptualises foreign interference in the context of strategic industries and analyses China’s strategic logic and interference toolkit. Second, it assesses the extent of Chinese interference and associated risks across three Dutch strategic industries through sector-specific case studies. Third, it draws out the implications of these findings for Dutch national security and proposes policy measures to enhance resilience.

The central conclusion is that Chinese foreign interference in Dutch strategic industries should be understood as a systemic, long-term threat rather than a collection of isolated incidents. While individual acts of espionage, coercion, or influence may appear manageable in isolation, their aggregate effect risks eroding the Netherlands’ technological edge, economic independence, and strategic autonomy. At the same time, the Netherlands faces a structural dilemma. China is a major trading partner and a rising geopolitical power that will remain a central actor in global economic and technological systems.

Benedetta Girardi is Programme Coordinator of the HCSS Europe in the Indo-Pacific programme and Strategic Analyst at HCSS. Her primary research interests regard the geopolitics and geoeconomics of the Indo-Pacific, European defence and security policy, and the interactions and ties between Europe, China, and the United States. Her research focuses on Europe's role in the Indo-Pacific, with particular attention to energy, critical raw materials, and semiconductor supply chains, as well as avenues for engagement between European and Indo-Pacific states.

Hans Horan is a Strategic Analyst at the Hague Centre for Strategic Studies (HCSS), specialising in the Indo-Pacific, cyber threat intelligence, and security and defence affairs. Prior to joining HCSS, Hans worked for over seven years in the intelligence and security industry, serving both private and public sector organisations across the globe as their Lead Cyber Intelligence and Principal Asia-Pacific Analyst.

Alexander Krabbendam is a recent Erasmus Mundus Master's graduate in European Politics, where he studied in the Czech Republic, Poland, and the Netherlands. He wrote his thesis on the role of emotions and normative inconsistency in European foreign policy. At HCSS, Alexander researched Chinese foreign interference in the Netherlands and organised the Indo-Dutch Cyber Security School (IDCSS) 2025. Alexander is also interested in expanding youth engagement, speaking at the 2025 NATO Youth Summit in Montenegro.