Illustration: Tang Tengfei/Global Times
The Netherlands is considering a legislation that will bar Chinese students from university programs on sensitive technologies including semiconductors and defense, Bloomberg reported on Monday, citing people with knowledge of the matter. While language in the planned legislation will likely avoid specifically mentioning China, the clear intention is to prevent Chinese students from gaining access to sensitive material, the report said.
If this report is accurate, then such a move would be the latest escalation of a tough talent war, especially in high-tech industries. Washington's ill-intentioned chip war is likely to have triggered an ill fated trend in which not only high-tech investment, but also the flow of talents has been greatly affected. Unfortunately, at a time when the global chip supply chain has been severely disrupted by the US-initiated geopolitical tensions, a talent war is expected to bring more challenges.
The Netherlands plays an outsized role in the global semiconductor supply chain, because it has ASML, which dominates the market for cutting-edge chip-making equipment. It's precisely because of that, the Dutch government is under mounting pressures amid US' unilateral semiconductor blockade against China.
It is hard to tell how geopolitical tensions will have an effect on Netherlands' talent strategy, but it is our sincere hope that the Dutch government will stick to a pragmatic approach to normal science and technology cooperation with China, and allow talents to flow freely across borders.
China is an important source of international students, with its growing middle class increasingly sending their children for studies abroad. If the Dutch government blocks Chinese students from joining university programs on cutting-edge technologies, international education industry in the Netherlands will see headwinds. More importantly, such a move will inevitably reduce the country's attraction for global talents. It is unwise for the country to allow itself to become cannon fodder in Washington's chip war against China.
A tech war is ultimately about a talent war. From this perspective, China is right to continue investing in education and talent. In recent years, China's talent competitiveness has continued to rise, and it has been stepping up the cultivation of scientific and technological talent. As early as 2021, a report showed that among the top 10 percent of scientific papers with the most cited times in the world, the number of Chinese papers surpassed that of the US for the first time, ranking first in the world.
The Netherlands or any country that reportedly consider screening foreign students cannot hinder China's high-tech development, but it can be seen as a wind vane of how the talent war will escalated. At a time when the race for high-end talent has become fiercer among various countries, it is essential for China to pursue technology independence and invest more into domestic education industries.
But of course, this does not mean closing the door to develop young talents. Instead, it's crucial to point out that while the US-led West is putting restrictions on talent exchanges, China is committed to promoting science and technology cooperation, and by opening its doors wider, China's technological competitiveness is increasing.
In recent years, the US has adopted a so-called security review to restrict normal international talent exchanges and cooperation with China. The US' calculation is to suppress China's technological progress, but this has proved to be a failure. Using political means to artificially block talent exchanges and cooperation with China will not limit China's scientific and technological innovation and development, and will not prevent China from enhancing its competitiveness in the international talent competition.
China will continue to maintain an open attitude to promote international talent exchanges despite increasing political interference in the West. There is still great potential for educational cooperation between China and the Netherlands. It is hoped that the Netherlands will not fall into the trap of restricting cooperation.
It will be unwise for Netherlands to implement the plan to screen Chinese science and technology students for so-called security risks. Taking a closed approach to interfere with normal talent exchanges and educational cooperation will in turn affect the improvement of the competitiveness of Dutch scientific and technological talent and the improvement of Dutch technological innovation capabilities.
The author is a reporter with the Global Times. bizopinion@globaltimes.com.cn
