The High Tech Campus (HTC) was sold to an investment fund of the Singaporean state. However, Minister of Economic Affairs Stef Blok explains that this does not constitute a risk to national security.
After it was announced recently that the sale of the HTC was not to an American company but to a Singaporean investment fund, the CDA and the PvdA asked questions in parliament about the deal. From the answers to those questions, it would appear that the minister sees no risk in selling the campus to the investment fund of another country.
No threat to security
Blok says that a distinction must be made between real estate and its management, and the knowledge ecosystem that exists on the campus. While the real estate and its management are indeed in the hands of a Singaporean sovereign wealth fund, the companies located on the campus and the ecosystem as a whole are not. It is up to the companies located on the HTC campus to have their information security in order, Blok says.
Answers to the parliamentary questions also show that the Ministry of Economic Affairs was aware of the transfer of the HTC to Singapore from the beginning.
Identity
It remains to be seen whether the deal would have gone through if the sale was to a Chinese Company instead of a Singaporean company. Blok said takeovers could be prevented if the public interest is potentially at stake and that the identity of the buyer can play a role in this.
Source: Studio040
Translation: Anitha Sevugan
