The Dutch government has taken control of Chinese-owned chipmaker Nexperia, citing national and European security concerns, according to Andy Bounds,ย Ryan McMorrow, andย Demetri Sevastopulo of the Financial Times. Officials invoked emergency powers after identifying โserious governance shortcomings,โ aiming to protect critical semiconductor knowledge and production in case of crisis. Nexperia, vital to Europe’s auto and electronics sectors, has been majority-owned by Chinaโs Wingtech since 2019. The move escalates ongoing tensions between Western countries and China over tech and trade, with China accusing the Netherlands of political interference and violating market principles. A Dutch court has suspended Nexperiaโs Chinese leadership and appointed an independent director to oversee the company. They write:
The Dutch government has taken control of Chinese-owned semiconductor maker Nexperia, warning of risks to Europeโs economic security after alleging โserious governance shortcomingsโ at the company.
In a statement on Sunday the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs said it acted because of โa threat to the continuity and safeguarding on Dutch and European soil of crucial technological knowledge and capabilitiesโ. […]
Washington last year added Wingtech to its โentity listโ, accusing the company of helping China acquire sensitive semiconductor manufacturing technology. The designation requires US companies to seek a licence to sell to them. Those licence requests are often denied. […]
The ministry said its latest action was not โdirected at other companies, the sector, or other countriesโ and that โparties may lodge an objection to this decision before the courtsโ.
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