Karremans accidentally sparked a trade conflict with China, but stands behind his choices

Outgoing Minister of Economic Affairs Vincent Karremans “would do it all again,” he told the British newspaper on November 13 The Guardian. The VVD member had just unleashed an international trade conflict with a heavy-handed intervention at the Nijmegen chip manufacturer Nexperia, with China threatening to shut down the global car industry. Much to the shock of the international community. “It’s like an economic thriller,” said Karremans.

On Thursday evening he had to appear before a critical House of Representatives, for a ‘debate on the policy and choices of the Minister of Economic Affairs regarding Nexperia’. Karremans still “broadly speaking” supports his choices: in fact, he could not have done it differently.

The ‘Nexperia issue’ arose when Karremans intervened at the company at the end of September to prevent the Chinese director from transferring knowledge to China. Beijing escalated much more than expected, halting exports from the Nexperia factory in China. The fairly simple chips that are made there are needed in cars and refrigerators, for example. The German car industry, among others, was in danger of getting into trouble.

Karremans withdrew his measure against Nexperia on November 19 under international pressure. China has now reopened chip exports, although this is mainly due to an easing of the country’s economic quarrel with the United States.

The House understood Karremans. The other parliamentary factions also felt that action was necessary to prevent Nexperia’s ‘knowledge and expertise’ from disappearing to China. Christian Union MP Pieter Grinwis is in favor of “assertive protection of vital Dutch and European interests,” he said during the debate.

Obscure war law

But the way in which Karremans showed assertiveness raised questions among most parliamentary factions. Karremans had used an obscure war law from 1952 that was intended to protect the supply of goods, but it was ultimately precisely because of the use of that law that China cut off the supply of chips.

Moreover, Karremans only consulted with Brussels and Berlin after his intervention at Nexperia. Annabel Nanninga (JA21) called Karremans’ attitude “brusque” and thought it was “simply unwise to take on China without diplomatic bilateral preparation.”

According to Karremans, the strong reaction from Beijing was “not the most likely counter-reaction from China.” He is now back in “constructive discussions with China” about the next steps for Nexperia, he says. MPs from other parties doubt that, they say behind the scenes. The main piece of evidence: Karremans was supposed to go to China on December 9 on a trade mission, but the Chinese ministers he was supposed to meet did not have time.

According to Karremans, the relationship with Germany and Brussels is also good – they would understand why he did what he did. Officially, Brussels and Berlin support his policy, but behind the scenes the minister’s actions are causing annoyance, insiders say. NRC.

According to Karremans, prior consultation was really not possible. He trusts the Netherlands’ international partners “completely”, but the circle had to remain small, otherwise China could have gotten wind of his plan to intervene.

Rising star

The Nexperia issue is the first time that Karremans has had a difficult time in politics in The Hague. He is a rising star within the VVD. In 2018 the entrepreneur became out of nowhere, the party leader of the Rotterdam VVD, and in the municipal elections the VVD became the second party. Between 2021 and 2024 he was an alderman in Rotterdam, until he became State Secretary for Youth, Prevention and Sport in the Schoof cabinet. When the PVV dropped the cabinet in June, he was promoted to Minister of Economic Affairs.

In the 2025 House of Representatives elections, he was in fourth place on the VVD list. During the campaign he was particularly visible on television and social media. He received more than 300,000 preferential votes, the most of any non-party leader.

Karremans did well during that campaign, but his party did not. Within the VVD, consideration was already being given to the succession of party leader Dilan Yesilgöz in the event of a bad result. Karremans was one of the successors, together with ministers Eelco Heinen (Finance) and Ruben Brekelmans (Defense). To many people’s surprise, the VVD recovered just before the elections and lost ‘only’ two seats. Yesilgöz was able to stay, and Karremans’ path to party leadership is therefore blocked for the time being.

Zoom in

Karremans is what is called a ‘cheerful liberal’ within the VVD. He is economically right-wing, focused on business, and not particularly outspoken on cultural issues such as asylum and integration. He is also known as a pragmatic and connecting director, light-hearted and with few hard ideals. He reminds VVD members of their former leader Mark Rutte.

Many liberal VVD members long for the Rutte era, and still envision Karremans at some point as a new leader puts their party back on that course. He is also spoken positively about in the conservative wing. But there are also concerns about him within the party. Party members find him frivolous, a bit too much of a showman.

Campaign stunt?

That criticism was also reflected in the Nexperia issue. “I have also seen the accusations,” Karremans said during the debate, that his harsh intervention was a “campaign stunt”. He has actually tried to keep the case out of publicity, he indicates.

In doing so, he ignores the actual criticism, which was also heard in Parliament on Thursday. Once the issue became public, Karremans took full control of the file. It was not the Dutch state that had intervened at Nexperia, Karremans said, but he.

It means that Karremans has to some extent become the face of a painful realization for the EU: Europe is very dependent on Beijing, and when provoked, China is not afraid to hit back hard.

In retrospect, Karremans said on Thursday that he was only “unhappy” about how the interview turned out. The Guardian unpacked, in which he said that he would “do everything the same way again.” He only wanted to dispel the alleged misunderstanding that the Netherlands ‘just’ intervenes in companies, which would be bad for the investment climate.

“I immediately agree that that quote did not come across that way,” said Karremans. “I look at myself critically, just as I constantly look at myself critically.” Although it was also due to the journalist with whom he had “a conversation for an hour and a half”, and who just made that statement the headline.

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