Thaw on Nexperia, Chinese chip exports to Europe resume

A potentially decisive breakthrough in the tug-of-war over semiconductor manufacturer Nexperia that has pitted the Netherlands against China for weeks, threatening a key supply chain for the European automotive sector. Beijing, as confirmed by Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof, has loosened its export restrictions on the chips, paving the way for a Dutch government turnaround on its late September decision to take control of the company (headquartered in the Netherlands but owned by China's Wingtech Technology) for reasons of national security, i.e. access to crucial technologies. It was precisely this decision - justified by a seventy-year-old law and accompanied by the suspension of the group's Chinese president, Zhang Xuezheng - that triggered Beijing's reaction, with the blockade of exports to Europe.

Managers of several car manufacturers have also confirmed that chips, critical for power control, have indeed resumed being shipped from the Chinese Nexperia plant. After receiving an export licence from China this week, Aumovio SE, a German components company that supplies Volkswagen, Stellantis and BMW, has shipped Nexperia semiconductors and components containing them, according to CEO Philipp Von Hirschheydt. The CEO added that he was informed that on Friday the Chinese Ministry of Commerce lifted the broader export ban imposed on Nexperia.

Honda, Japan's second largest car manufacturer, also reported movement in its deliveries.

Already on Thursday evening, the Dutch Minister of Economic Affairs, Vincent Karremans, was optimistic about the recovery. 'The Netherlands,' he said, 'will closely monitor and support these developments, and will take the necessary steps on its part. A statement that the Bloomberg agency read as a sign that the minister is ready to revoke the measure of the end of September, although official confirmation from The Hague to this effect is lacking for the time being.

"We very much welcome the easing of tensions and the continuation of negotiations between the Netherlands and China on this issue," said Luisa-Maria Spoo, spokeswoman for the German Ministry of Economic Affairs, at a government press conference in Berlin. "We are in contact with the Netherlands and interested companies." European Commission spokesman Olof Gill, for his part, let it be known that discussions on the issue continue at "senior official level", with EU Trade Commissioner Maros Sefcovic in contact with his counterparts.