October 15， 2025
In a significant move to safeguard national interests, the Dutch government has officially taken control of a computer chip firm owned by China. The decisive action was announced on Wednesday, targeting Nexperia, a subsidiary of the Chinese company Wingtech whose own headquarters are based in the Netherlands. This intervention was executed through the issuance of an emergency order, granting the Dutch state the sweeping authority to appoint a new chief executive officer and to directly approve or deny any potential changes to the company's leadership structure.
The core of the government's decision lies in the critical nature of Nexperia's work. The firm is a vital supplier to the defense and security sectors, producing essential semiconductors that are integral to national security. Authorities have grown increasingly concerned that the company's acquisition by Wingtech, a Chinese entity, has created an unacceptable risk of undesirable transfer of knowledge. This, they fear, could potentially compromise sensitive technological information and expertise.
The Dutch Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Policy explicitly cited these national security concerns as the primary justification for the extraordinary measure. The government's intervention effectively blocks Nexperia's current Chinese ownership from exercising any meaningful control over the company's sensitive operations. This step underscores a hardening European stance toward foreign, and particularly Chinese, involvement in strategic technological industries, marking a pivotal moment in the ongoing global debate over technology security and economic sovereignty.
SOURCE BBC
