Dutch seize Chinese chip maker: Piracy on dry land
(Tech Buzz and refer to any major media)
The Dutch government just made an unprecedented move in the global chip wars, seizing control of Nexperia – a Chinese-owned semiconductor company vital to Europe’s auto industry. Using emergency powers under the Goods Availability Act, the Netherlands cited ‘serious governance shortcomings’ as justification for what officials called a ‘highly exceptional’ intervention that sent shockwaves through Asian markets.
I’m not even exaggerating on the piracy. They suspended the Chinese CEO from his position, appointed a non-Chinese director on the board with decisive voting rights and expropriated the company’s shares by placing them under management by a third-party trustee.
All under a law called the “Goods Availability Act” (https://government.nl/latest/news/2025/10/12/minister-of-economic-affairs-invokes-goods-availability-act (https://t.co/qkE6QAQZLn)), which is an emergency wartime legislation designed for things like the requisition of bread or fuel during a foreign invasion. Holland wasn’t being invaded, and Nexperia is operating normally, with chips flowing to European customers exactly as they always have.
The intervention hit markets immediately. Wingtech Technology, Nexperia’s Chinese parent company, plunged its maximum daily limit of 10% on the Shanghai Stock Exchange after the announcement broke Sunday evening. The company’s shares have been under pressure all year as geopolitical tensions mounted.
The Netherlands’ move comes just days after Beijing tightened restrictions on rare earth exports – materials essential for Europe’s automotive industry. It’s the latest salvo in an escalating tech cold war that’s already seen the Netherlands restrict ASML’s advanced chipmaking equipment exports to China.
Thing is, this is not even smart. It undermines Europe’s own semiconductor strategy. Nexperia is one of the all-too-rare successful EU semiconductor companies, headquartered in Holland with 14,000 employees worldwide.
We await the Chinese response. Is it too early to speculate that off-shore Chinese companies will take note and move back? Will the Dutch as a start ever be allowed to buy a rare earth component again? Will chips and semiconductors become a real scarce commodity in western climes?
This was always next step, as like with russia’s assets- “war powers”, essentially returning to more outright primitive accumulation. If the color revolutions, “lawfare” legal tie-ups like the Panama Canal, the f’ing around with burning down nearby countries to destroy logistics and sovereignty, etc isn’t working fast/well enough, go to… Read more »
I saw quite a chilling comment somewhere in the Chinese media today.
Trump only clubs baby seals, and China is not a baby seal.
freezing & then stealing russia’s assets electrified empire’s monied allies, most attribute it to the final axe blow to the $, this is of the self-same suicidal order. trust is lost, any & all manufacturing nations won’t set up or relocate any part of its production anywhere within empire; including… Read more »
headquarters: Nijmegen (Netherlands), in Hong Kong, Penang (Malaysia) and Dallas. manufacturing locations: waferfabs in Hamburg (Germany), Manchester (UK), as well as three assembly centers in Guangdong (China), Seremban (Malaysia) and Cabuyao (Philippines) Seems to me Hong Kong should 1) state this is null and void and will be treated as… Read more »
We’re wading into the Last Drang.
Also in the Netherlands today: start of Steadfast Noon nuclear war “exercise.”
As that slick “lifelong bachelor” and rotten piece of stale Gouda said, these two acts “sends a clear message to any adversary that NATO can and will protect and defend all Allies”