On the Dash:
- Wingtech is appealing to the Dutch Supreme Court to regain control of Nexperia, alleging government interference and violations of due process.
- Despite a temporary truce that reopened exports, Nexperia says customers still face imminent production stoppages caused by stalled cooperation with its China unit.
- The dispute continues to threaten global automotive chip supplies, prompting warnings that automakers may need to reassess dependence on China.
China’s Wingtech Technology has appealed to the Dutch Supreme Court in a bid to regain control of chipmaker Nexperia, escalating a months-long dispute that continues to disrupt global semiconductor supplies for major automakers.
The appeal challenges a ruling from the Amsterdam Enterprise Chamber that transferred all but one of Nexperia’s shares to a court-appointed trustee and suspended Wingtech founder Zhang Xuezheng as CEO. In legal filings reviewed by Bloomberg News, Wingtech argues that the court exceeded its authority and allowed Nexperia management and the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs to influence the proceedings in a way that compromised due process.
The ministry rejected that characterization, maintaining that it neither initiated nor influenced the case and emphasizing the independence of the Dutch judiciary.
The conflict dates back to October, when the Dutch government invoked emergency powers to block or reverse Nexperia’s decisions, over concerns that Wingtech was relocating critical technology and equipment out of Europe. Beijing responded by imposing export restrictions on Nexperia’s Guangdong plant, which had supplied roughly half of the company’s production.
Those restrictions quickly affected the auto sector, as Nexperia provides power-control and logic chips used in engines, batteries, and braking systems. Automakers, including Honda and Volkswagen, slowed or halted some production as chip supplies tightened. Although a temporary truce negotiated by officials from China, the Netherlands, Germany, the European Union, and the United States allowed shipments to resume, Nexperia has warned that customers still face possible production stoppages.
In an open letter last week, the semiconductor firm called on its Chinese subsidiary to restore cooperation and stabilize supply flows. Wingtech countered that the Dutch government’s intervention created the underlying instability. The company also alleges in its appeal that Dutch Economic Affairs Minister Vincent Karremans attempted to sway the court, citing a letter from ministry lawyers sent to the Enterprise Chamber on Oct. 1 endorsing Nexperia’s petition on the same day it was filed. Wingtech argues the timing suggests the ministry had advance access to documents despite previous public assurances.
