 "Netherland takes control of China’s chip firm Nexperia: Retaliation to Xi’s rare earth export curbs?")
In a “highly exceptional” move triggered by mounting global trade tensions and national security concerns, the Dutch government has taken temporary control of the Chinese-owned semiconductor manufacturer Nexperia, a critical supplier of chips to the European automotive and consumer electronics sectors.
The Dutch Minister of Economic Affairs revealed late Sunday that it had invoked the powerful “Goods Availability Act” in September to place the company, a subsidiary of China’s Wingtech Technology, under external management. The intervention is intended “to prevent a situation in which the goods produced by Nexperia… would become unavailable in an emergency.”
Weak governance now a security risk
The Hague’s action comes amid rising trade friction between the US and China, and just days after Beijing tightened restrictions on rare earth element exports that are vital to European manufacturing.
The government stated that the decision was made after observing “recent and acute signals of serious governance shortcomings and actions” within Nexperia.
These shortcomings, the statement argued, threatened the “continuity and safeguarding on Dutch and European soil of crucial technological knowledge and capabilities,” posing a direct risk to European economic security, particularly in the automotive industry.
A corporate filing by Wingtech on Monday confirmed the government’s order, which suspends any changes to Nexperia’s assets, business, or personnel for up to a year. It also confirmed the immediate suspension of Wingtech Chairman Zhang Xuezheng from his executive and non-executive director roles within Nexperia Holdings.
Wingtech, which acquired Nexperia in , condemned the intervention in a post, later deleted, arguing the move was “excessive intervention driven by geopolitical bias, rather than a fact-based risk assessment.”
The Chinese parent company insisted it has “strictly abided by the laws and regulations of all jurisdictions” and has maintained transparent operations across its sites in the Netherlands, Germany, and Britain.
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