Netherlands willing to give up Nexperia control if China resumes exports

The Netherlands is ready to drop its emergency control over Nexperia next week, if China finally unblocks the flow of critical chip exports, according to a report by Bloomberg, which cited unnamed government officials familiar with the situation.

The whole standoff has pushed Europe’s car factories to the edge, as chip shipments from China have been frozen for weeks, slashing the supply of basic but vital components used by companies like BMW and Volkswagen.

The Dutch move would involve shelving a ministerial order that gave them the power to block or rewrite key decisions at Nexperia, a chipmaker based in Nijmegen but owned by Wingtech Technology, a company out of Shanghai.

But this rollback won’t happen unless two things line up: one, China needs to resume shipping chips, and two, the money drama between Nexperia and its Chinese unit must get cleaned up.

A few signs suggest movement; Wingtech’s stock shot up almost 10% in late trading in Shanghai just hours after Dutch officials hinted at a deal.

Karremans signals chip supplies may resume soon

Vincent Karremans, the Dutch Economic Affairs Minister, issued a statement late Thursday that added more fuel to the speculation.

“Given the constructive nature of our talks with the Chinese authorities, the Netherlands trusts that the supply of chips from China to Europe and the rest of the world will reach Nexperia’s customers over the coming days,” he said.

The trouble began back in September, when Dutch officials took control of Nexperia over fears that Wingtech’s founder, Zhang Xuezheng, was misusing company cash to enrich himself and funnel funds to his other companies in China.

Those claims led to Zhang getting booted as CEO by a court in Amsterdam on October 7, after a petition from Nexperia’s management. Since then, Wingtech has denied every allegation and demanded that Zhang be brought back.

That court-backed intervention gave the Dutch government a one-year window to block or override any executive changes, strategic relocations, or internal decisions.

China didn’t take that lightly. In response, it slammed the brakes on Nexperia’s chip exports, creating a ripple effect that’s now messing with Europe’s entire car supply chain.

By October 29, Nexperia was forced to alert clients that it had stopped sending wafers to its Chinese factory. That site alone used to process half of the company’s production volume before all hell broke loose.

Without that supply, automakers in the region are stuck relying on their dwindling chip reserves. Some are even bracing for full shutdowns if deliveries don’t restart immediately, warned the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association.

Nexperia accuses China unit of sabotage

On October 13, Nexperia made it clear that it had lost all trust in its China-based factory, stating it could no longer guarantee the technology, intellectual property, or authenticity of the components being shipped from that plant.

The company said, “We cannot oversee if and when products from our facility in China will be delivered,” blaming a total breakdown in transparency and oversight.

Then came a stronger accusation. On Wednesday, Nexperia said its Chinese unit didn’t only refuse to pay for wafer deliveries, it also took actions that were completely out of line.

The company said its official corporate seals were misused without valid explanation and that fake letters were sent to customers, subcontractors, and suppliers, all without approval.

This isn’t being treated as a one-off, either. Nexperia called it part of a broader pattern of misconduct.

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