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According to Frans-Paul van der Putten, Senior Research Associate at the Clingendael Institute, Cosco is sending a clear signal. Its interest in Zippel indicates that Chinese companies want to expand their involvement in European logistics – despite ongoing trade and geopolitical tensions between the EU and China and stricter EU scrutiny of Chinese...

However, Frans-Paul van der Putten, founder of Dutch consulting firm ChinaGeopolitics, said the continuation of the Nexperia saga would damage the company, the Netherlands and relations between The Hague and Beijing.

"China, whose influence is mainly economic, cannot remove US influence from most regions, should it want to do so," said Frans-Paul van der Putten, an independent China expert based in the Netherlands.

European countries have been slower than the United States to adopt controls of Chinese technology. The Dutch semiconductor industry wants to maintain access to the Chinese market. But it has been squeezed by Washington's increasingly tough approach toward China.

Frans-Paul van der Putten, founder of Dutch consulting firm ChinaGeopolitics, said that China's push for companies to take the lead may be an attempt to downgrade the diplomatic urgency while ramping up pressure on The Hague to restore Nexperia's unity.

Frans-Paul van der Putten, an independent China expert based in the Netherlands, noted historic complacency had hindered the EU response to emerging geopolitical vulnerabilities, especially regarding Washington's global role.

"European governments should be aware that the presence of Chinese companies in their countries might complicate their relations with the US. This should be taken into account when screening incoming investments from China," said Frans-Paul van der Putten, founder of Dutch consulting firm ChinaGeopolitics.

"There's very little that Europe can do actually, because whatever you do there will be damage," said Frans-Paul van der Putten, founder of Dutch consulting firm ChinaGeopolitics. "That is the core of the problem: you will damage your security or your economic position, or both." (...) Though The Hague has insisted it did not act due to US pressure...

(...) The commemoration also sought to rewrite war literature by highlighting Asia's overlooked role in defeating fascism during World War II. Frans-Paul van der Putten of the Clingendael Institute observed that Western accounts have long downplayed China's sacrifices in breaking Japan's war machine. Xi Jinping, recalling his May visit to Russia,...

(...) The parade also reflects Xi's habit of bending history towards political ends. Frans-Paul van der Putten, a specialist in Chinese security at the Netherlands' Clingendael research institute, said that celebrating the victory over Japan was a relatively recent development in China.