Dutch Government Seizes Control of Nexperia Amid Rising Tensions With China

The Dutch government has seized control of leading semiconductor manufacturer Nexperia from its Chinese parent company, sparking a heated stand-off between The Hague and Beijing over national security and operational autonomy.

Last week, the Dutch authorities removed the Chinese leadership from Nexperia’s Netherlands headquarters in response to mounting pressure from Washington. The US had threatened export controls if Zhang Xuezheng, chief executive of Nexperia and chairman of Wingtech, the company’s Chinese owner, remained in his position. Zhang was ousted on 14 October and replaced by the financial chief, Stefan Tilger.

Following this intervention, Nexperia China published a letter on WeChat instructing its employees to ignore directives from the Dutch head office unless approved by the legal representative of the Chinese entity. The announcement emphasised that workers could refuse to comply with such instructions without fear of disciplinary action or legal repercussions, framing this as a defence against external interference.

This extraordinary move underlines the intensifying strain between Dutch and Chinese stakeholders. Dutch officials cited “serious managerial shortcomings” on the part of the previous leadership, stating that the company’s European operations were “compromised in an unacceptable manner”. The government added that the situation raised broader concerns about the security of semiconductor supply for European industry.

Nexperia, a major supplier of low-tech chips essential for consumer electronics, operates factories across Europe, including in Stockport, Greater Manchester. The company began as a 2006 spin-out from Dutch conglomerate Philips and was acquired by Wingtech, a partly Chinese state-owned enterprise, in a £2.7bn deal in 2018. Wingtech itself was blacklisted by the US last year over alleged links to Chinese state efforts to acquire sensitive semiconductor technology.

Last year, British authorities also ordered Nexperia to divest its Newport, Wales, facility, again on national security grounds. Now, Chinese management warns that ongoing Dutch control risks further eroding employee trust and sovereignty, while Dutch and American officials view the intervention as vital for economic resilience and strategic independence.