Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte will meet with US President Joe Biden in Washington DC next Tuesday, the offices of both governments said late Thursday.
While both countries’ support to Ukraine will be on the agenda, “further cooperation in the field of defense and security will also be discussed, as well as further strengthening of bilateral trade relations between the Netherlands and the United States,” the Dutch statement reads,
“As strong NATO allies and global partners, the two leaders will reaffirm our shared efforts to strengthen transatlantic security and economic prosperity,” the White House said. Told in a statement.
Biden and Rutte” will also discuss [their] cooperation on critical technologies and a shared vision for a free and open Indo-Pacific,” according to the US statement.
The Netherlands and the US are negotiating Export of advanced chips technology to China in the last few months.
The US introduced export sanctions in October to curb China’s advanced chips capabilities, particularly in the area of weapons development.
However, the US needs to keep the Netherlands on board as it is its home base european tech giants ASML, which designs and produces machines that manufacture semiconductors, is therefore a major player in the global chip production chain.
Dutch Trade Minister Lisje Schreinmacher has Told While they share the security concerns of the US, the Netherlands must also look to its own “economic and geopolitical concerns”. China accounts 15 percent of ASML’s total revenue.
The visit also comes amid strained trade relations between the EU and the US, which are engaged in a trade disputes on the rise over the Biden administration’s plans to heavily subsidize investment in green industries and the purchase of American-made electric cars, which the European Union sees as a protectionist measure.
Dutch Foreign Minister Wopke Hoekstra and US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken will participate in the discussion.