China–Netherlands relations officially began in November 1954. In May 1972, diplomatic mission was increased to

ambassador An ambassador is an official envoy, especially a high-ranking diplomat who represents a state and is usually accredited to another sovereign state or to an international organization as the resident representative of their own government or so ...

ial level. On 11 May 1981, the diplomatic relations was downgraded to the

charge d'affaires Charge or charged may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films * '' Charge, Zero Emissions/Maximum Speed'', a 2011 documentary Music * ''Charge'' (David Ford album) * ''Charge'' (Machel Montano album) * '' Charge!!'', an album by The Aq ...

level due to the Dutch government ratified the construction of two submarines for Taiwan by the Dutch companies. Until 1 February 1984, China and the Netherlands restored

ial diplomatic relations.

History

China-Dutch relations began prior to the founding of the People's Republic of China in the 17th and 18th century when Dutch traders of the

Verenigde Oostindische Compagnie The United East India Company ( ; VOC ), commonly known as the Dutch East India Company, was a chartered trading company and one of the first joint-stock companies in the world. Established on 20 March 1602 by the States General of the Neth ...

(VOC) setup trading post in

Canton Canton may refer to: Administrative divisions * Canton (administrative division), territorial/administrative division in some countries * Township (Canada), known as ''canton'' in Canadian French Arts and entertainment * Canton (band), an It ...

and also in the western coast of

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...

Johan Nieuhof Johan Nieuhof (22 July 1618 – 8 October 1672) was a Dutch traveler who wrote about his journeys to Brazil, China and India. The most famous of these was a trip of from Canton to Peking in 1655-1657, which enabled him to become an authoritativ ...

's account of the first VOC embassy to

Beijing Beijing, Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Peking, is the capital city of China. With more than 22 million residents, it is the world's List of national capitals by population, most populous national capital city as well as ...

in 16551657and the objections against it raised by members of the

Jesuit China Mission The history of the missions of the Jesuits in China is part of the history of relations between China and the Western world. The missionary efforts and other work of the Society of Jesus, or Jesuits, between the 16th and 17th century played a si ...

became the influential and much-translated 1665 '' Embassy from the East-India Company''. PRC–Netherlands began in 1954 to establish the diplomatic relations of the charge d'affaires level. Until 18 May 1972, China upgraded to the ambassadorial level with the Netherlands. In the 1980s Taiwan ordered two submarines from a Dutch shipyard which were delivered despite tremendous Chinese pressure. China accused the Netherlands of colluding with American President

Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan (February 6, 1911 – June 5, 2004) was an American politician and actor who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He was a member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party a ...

and downgraded relations to the

level with the Netherlands on 11 May 1981, and threatened to do the same to the US. In 1984, the Netherlands agreed not to export additional military goods in order to restore relations to the ambassadorial level.

21st century

In March 2014, Chinese Communist Party general secretary

Xi Jinping Xi Jinping, pronounced (born 15 June 1953) is a Chinese politician who has been the general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and Chairman of the Central Military Commission (China), chairman of the Central Military Commission ...

made the first

state visit A state visit is a formal visit by the head of state, head of a sovereign state, sovereign country (or Governor-general, representative of the head of a sovereign country) to another sovereign country, at the invitation of the head of state (or ...

of China to the Netherlands in history. In July 2019, the UN ambassadors from 22 nations, including Netherlands, signed a joint letter to the

UNHRC The United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) is a United Nations body whose mission is to promote and protect human rights around the world. The Council has 47 members elected for staggered three-year terms on a regional group basis. The ...

condemning China's mistreatment of the

Uyghurs The Uyghurs,. alternatively spelled Uighurs, Uygurs or Uigurs, are a Turkic peoples, Turkic ethnic group originating from and culturally affiliated with the general region of Central Asia and East Asia. The Uyghurs are recognized as the ti ...

as well as its mistreatment of other minority groups, urging the Chinese government to close the

Xinjiang internment camps The Xinjiang internment camps, officially called vocational education and training centers by the government of the People's Republic of China, are internment camps operated by the government of Xinjiang and the Chinese Communist Party P ...

. In February 2021, the

Dutch House of Representatives The House of Representatives ( , literally "Second Chamber of the States General", or simply ) is the lower house of the Bicameralism, bicameral parliament of the Netherlands, the States General of the Netherlands, States General, the other one ...

voted to recognize the Chinese government's treatment of its Uyghur Muslim minority as

genocide Genocide is violence that targets individuals because of their membership of a group and aims at the destruction of a people. Raphael Lemkin, who first coined the term, defined genocide as "the destruction of a nation or of an ethnic group" by ...

, becoming the first country in the European Union to do so. In February 2024, the

Dutch Military Intelligence and Security Service The Military Intelligence and Security Service ( Dutch: ''Militaire Inlichtingen- en Veiligheidsdienst'') is the military intelligence service of the Netherlands, which operates under the Ministry of Defence. (online pdf here: https://www.docdro ...

and the

General Intelligence and Security Service The General Intelligence and Security Service ( ; AIVD) is the intelligence and security agency of the Netherlands, tasked with domestic, foreign and signals intelligence and protecting national security as well as assisting the Five Eyes in i ...

stated that Chinese state hackers penetrated a Dutch military network the prior year. The same month, Dutch trade minister

Geoffrey van Leeuwen Geoffrey van Leeuwen (born 7 February 1971) is a Dutch diplomat and civil servant who served as acting Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation between December 2023 and April 2024 during the maternity leave of Liesje Schreinem ...

justified export controls on ASML tools to China on the grounds that they would be used for "high-value weapons systems and

weapons of mass destruction A weapon of mass destruction (WMD) is a Biological agent, biological, chemical weapon, chemical, Radiological weapon, radiological, nuclear weapon, nuclear, or any other weapon that can kill or significantly harm many people or cause great dam ...

." In April 2024, the Dutch Military Intelligence and Security Service stated that Chinese spies were actively targeting the Netherlands' semiconductor, aerospace and maritime industries in order to strengthen China's armed forces. In June 2024, the Dutch

Ministry of Defence A ministry of defence or defense (see American and British English spelling differences#-ce.2C -se, spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and Mi ...

accused China of creating an "unsafe situation" when its fighter jets encircled Dutch frigate

HNLMS Tromp At least eight ships of the Royal Netherlands Navy have been named HNLMS ''Tromp'' after Admiral Maarten Tromp (1598–1653), or his son Cornelis Tromp (1629–1691): * HNLMS ''Admiraal C. Tromp'', a 7-gun armed schooner, which served from 1809-18 ...

in international waters in the

East China Sea The East China Sea is a marginal sea of the Western Pacific Ocean, located directly offshore from East China. China names the body of water along its eastern coast as "East Sea" (, ) due to direction, the name of "East China Sea" is otherwise ...

. In October 2024, the Dutch National Coordinator for Security and Counterterrorism stated that Chinese state-backed cyberattacks had increasingly moved from cyberespionage to also prepare for sabotage. In May 2025, Dutch defense minister Ruben Brekelmans stated that Chinese espionage on the Netherlands' semiconductor sector is "intensifying."

Trade

Netherlands export to China includes petrochemicals, machinery, transport equipment, food, high technology and fossil fuels. China's export to the Netherlands includes computer and consumer electronics, toys and clothes.

Resident diplomatic missions

* China has an embassy in

The Hague The Hague ( ) is the capital city of the South Holland province of the Netherlands. With a population of over half a million, it is the third-largest city in the Netherlands. Situated on the west coast facing the North Sea, The Hague is the c ...

. * the Netherlands has an embassy in

and consulates-general in

Guangzhou Guangzhou, Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Canton or Kwangchow, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Guangdong Provinces of China, province in South China, southern China. Located on the Pearl River about nor ...

Hong Kong Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...

and

Shanghai Shanghai, Shanghainese: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: is a direct-administered municipality and the most populous urban area in China. The city is located on the Chinese shoreline on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the ...

History

21st century

Trade

Resident diplomatic missions

See also