From October 23 to 24, 2025, Dr. Sun Chenghao, Associate Research Fellow at the Center for International Security and Strategy (CISS), Tsinghua University, attended the international academic symposium “Understanding China’s Advanced Technology Export Controls” held in The Hague, the Netherlands. The conference was co-hosted by Dr. Guangyu Qiao-Franco, Assistant Professor at Radboud University, and Dr. Rogier Creemers, Assistant Professor at Leiden University.
Dr. Sun exchanged views with international scholars and officials on the evolution and logic of China’s export control policies. Other Chinese participants included Dr. Qi Haotian, Associate Professor with tenure at the School of International Studies, Peking University, among others.
During his stay in the Netherlands, Dr. Sun also met with officials from the European Union and the Dutch government to exchange views on recent China–EU and China–Netherlands discussions regarding export control issues.
In his presentation, Dr. Sun used semiconductors and rare earths as case studies to explain China’s understanding of export control policy. He emphasized that these measures should not be viewed merely as trade policies, but rather as responses to a changing international environment. In the context of intensifying global strategic competition and technological rivalry, export control has evolved beyond a traditional trade policy tool to become a key instrument of technology governance and strategic statecraft.
Dr. Sun noted that China has, in recent years, steadily improved its export control framework through a series of laws, regulations, and control lists, strengthening oversight of critical items and technologies. These efforts, he explained, not only reflect China’s legitimate efforts to safeguard national security and technological sovereignty, but also demonstrate its active engagement in shaping and contributing to the global system of technology governance.
During his stay in the Netherlands, Dr. Sun also met with officials from the European Union and the Dutch government to discuss recent China–EU and China–Netherlands issues related to export controls.