Netherlands Suspends Seizure of Chinese-Owned Chipmaker Nexperia Amid EU–China Dispute
The Netherlands has suspended its September 30 order to take supervisory control of Chinese-owned chipmaker Nexperia under the Goods Availability Act as a goodwill gesture towards Beijing. Nexperia, which is owned by Wingtech Technology and headquartered in Nijmegen, has operations including a factory in Hamburg and a corporate HQ that raised concerns about asset and intellectual property control.
This move aims to prevent disruption to the European chip supply and to safeguard critical technology from loss or relocation in an emergency. The suspension follows a six-week EU–China dispute that threatened global car production and caused supply-chain disruptions, including pauses in Mexico.
In early October, China had banned Nexperia chip exports in response to the seizure order, but this ban was lifted on November 9, allowing chip shipments to resume to Volkswagen and Honda plants in Germany and Mexico.
The Netherlands consulted closely with the European Commission and its partners before implementing the measure and stated it will continue to engage with Chinese authorities, retaining the right to suspend the supervisory order again if similar threats arise.
Separately, a related court case alleged mismanagement at Nexperia, resulting in the removal of Nexperia’s former chief executive and Wingtech founder Zhang Xuezheng. Wingtech rejects these claims, while the Netherlands remains a party to the case.
The Dutch commerce ministry cited intelligence pointing to a threat to the continuity of European technological knowledge and capabilities as context for the original decision to seize control of Nexperia.
