Posted on 15 Oct 2025
The Dutch government has taken control of semiconductor manufacturer Nexperia, owned by China’s Windtech Technology, citing governance and operations concerns, Kallanish reports.
In an announcement on Tuesday, Nexperia says its former chief executive Zhang Xuezheng has been suspended as a director under a ruling by the Dutch Enterprise Chamber, following an emergency hearing on 7 October. Additionally, all voting rights on the shares in Nexperia, indirectly held by Wingtech Technology, have been placed under the management of an “independent administrator.” Chief financial officer Stefan Tilger will also act as interim ceo.
Citing “serious managerial shortcomings,” the chipmaker says the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs observed that Nexperia’s operations in Europe “were being compromised in an unacceptable manner.” The Dutch government expressed concerns about the availability of semiconductor products critical to the European industry, including automotive.
“The combination of Zhang Xuezheng’s behaviour as ceo and (indirect) shareholder, as well as concerns about the semiconductor product availability in the Netherlands and Europe, ultimately led to the Dutch government to intervene with an exceptional emergency order on the basis of the Goods Availability Act (Wbg),” Nexperia explains.
The move – which came amid heightening geopolitical tensions with new export controls by the US and China – has been heavily criticised by Wingtech Technology and the China Semiconductor Industry Association (CSIA). In separate statements, they “firmly oppose the politicisation of trade issues.”
“The Dutch government’s freeze on Nexperia’s global operations, citing the unfounded claim of ‘national security,’ is excessive intervention based on geopolitical bias rather than a fact-based risk assessment,” argues Wingtech Technology. “This move seriously violates the market economy, fair competition, and international trade rules consistently advocated by the European Union.”
CSIA says the “discriminatory measures against specific companies will undermine the open, inclusive and collaborative global semiconductor ecosystem.” It notes the decision does not reflect a “fair and just” business environment, and destabilises the global industrial chain.
Beijing “opposes overstretching the concept of national security” and “is firmly resolved in defending its own legitimate and lawful rights and interests,” says Lin Jian, spokesperson for China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He adds that the Netherlands should uphold market principles and refrain from politicising trade issues.
On 29 September, the US issued a rule extending US export control restrictions to entities at least 50% owned by one or more entities on the US Entity List. Nexperia has not been explicitly mentioned, but the company is affected due to its status as a wholly owned subsidiary of Wingtech, which is on the US entity list since December.
A few days later, China issued an export control notice prohibiting Nexperia China and its subcontractors from exporting specific finished components and sub-assemblies manufactured in China.
Nexperia, which ships over 110 billion products annually and has operations across Europe, Asia, and the US, says it’s confident that “a solution will be found” to remedy the impact of US and Chinese measures. It is also “positive that day-to-day operations can continue.”
For the next year, Nexperia is prohibited by the Dutch government from relocating company parts, firing executives and/or making other decisions “without explicit permission” from the Dutch government.
Source:Kallanish
