Dutch Defence Minister Ruben Brekelmans has raised concerns about growing Chinese espionage in the Dutch semiconductor industry, calling it the Netherlands’ top cyber threat. He made the statement during the Shangri-La Dialogue security summit held in Singapore on Saturday.
Brekelmans said China is targeting the Netherlands for its leading position in semiconductor technology. “The semiconductor industry, which we are technologically leading… that’s interesting to China,” he stated. He explained that China seeks this intellectual property to advance its own military and tech sectors.
The Dutch military intelligence agency (MIVD) had already reported in 2023 that China was attempting to infiltrate critical sectors—including semiconductors, aerospace, and maritime. These efforts, according to officials, aim to boost China’s military capabilities.
When asked whether the cyber threats had declined, Brekelmans clarified, “It’s continuing.” He stressed that recent intelligence confirms China remains the biggest source of cyber activity targeting the Netherlands. “That was the case last year and still is. We only see this intensifying.”
Dutch intelligence services first publicly accused China of cyber espionage in 2023. At the time, state-backed hackers reportedly breached a Dutch military network. This marked the Netherlands’ first direct attribution of a cyberattack to Beijing.
China’s foreign ministry has not responded to the latest accusation. However, Beijing typically denies any involvement in cyber espionage and insists it opposes all forms of cyberattacks.
Brekelmans also warned of a broader pattern in China’s behavior. He said China increasingly uses its economic power to gain geopolitical leverage. “China is using their economic position for geopolitical purposes and also to pressure us,” he said.
To counter this, the Dutch government has introduced national safeguards to protect sensitive industries. Brekelmans believes the EU and individual nations must go further. “We need to make bigger steps to reduce our dependencies on China—especially for critical raw materials,” he added.
As the Netherlands strengthens its security policies, its warnings about China reflect a broader European push to safeguard key technologies. The move also signals the importance of transatlantic cooperation in protecting semiconductor intellectual property and infrastructure.
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