AMSTERDAM: The Dutch government has taken control of Chinese-owned computer chipmaker Nexperia, ratcheting up tensions with Beijing as a global fight brews over technology intellectual property, especially around semiconductors.

The government said late on Sunday that it has intervened in Nijmegen-headquartered Nexperia, which manufactures chips for cars and consumer electronics. It cited worries about the possible transfer of technology to Nexperia’s Chinese parent company, Wingtech.

Amsterdam invoked never-before-used powers under a Dutch law known as the “Availability of Goods Act”. The decision led to a 10pc fall in Wingtech’s shares in Shanghai on Monday.

The Dutch government will not take ownership of Nexperia, but it will now have the power to reverse or block management decisions it considers harmful. The company’s regular production is continuing.

US President Donald Trump is ratcheting up pressure on Chinese tech firms as part of a broader trade war that saw him threaten 100pc tariffs on China’s exports last week.

The US and the Netherlands typically cooperate closely on computer chip industry export controls.

A Dutch Economic Affairs Ministry spokesperson, however, said there was no US involvement in its decision regarding Nexperia and the timing was “purely coincidental”.

Washington last month expanded a list of blacklisted firms seen as threats to national security to include subsidiaries. Wingtech had already been placed on the United States’ “entity list” in December 2024 for its alleged role “in aiding China’s government’s efforts to acquire entities with sensitive semiconductor manufacturing capability.”

Nexperia, which is 100pc-owned by Wingtech, said at the time that it would comply with the US rules, though it said its operations were kept at arm’s length from its Chinese parent.

Published in Dawn, October 14th, 2025