Nexperia informs its employees that the company is Chinese

Nexperia sent a letter to its Chinese employees stating that the company is a Chinese entity and instructing them to disregard directives from the Netherlands, reports Dutch state broadcaster NOS. The message was made clear in a letter the company sent to its employees. This comes after last week, when the Dutch government seized control of Nexperia, a crucial supplier of automotive chips, citing concerns over technology transfer and national security.

Nexperia, a chipmaking company headquartered in Nijmegen, specializes in manufacturing relatively simple chips used in household appliances and automobiles. In 2019, it was fully acquired by Wingtech, a Chinese company. Nexperia operates with branches worldwide and generates $2.06 billion in annual revenue. However, recent events have placed Nexperia at the center of international tensions.

On October 12, 2025, the Dutch government took control of the company when concerns arose that Wingtech and its CEO, Zhang Xuezheng, were attempting to dismiss the European management team following a financial dispute. Zhang Xuezheng, also known as 'Wing', reportedly sought to utilize Nexperia's resources to bolster his own chip factory in China, WingSkySemi, which was not part of the Wingtech group. This led to the dismissal of Nexperia's co-directors when they confronted Wing. Consequently, the Court of Appeal in Amsterdam suspended Wing from his position, citing concerns about Nexperia's conduct. The court then appointed G.R.C. Dierick as a non-executive director with a decisive vote and transferred Nexperia's shares to a trustee.

Nexperia is Chinese

Today, Nexperia's Chinese division issued a letter to its Chinese employees, asserting that Nexperia is fundamentally a Chinese company with Chinese roots. The letter instructs employees to disregard any communications from Dutch management, including emails and invitations to online meetings. It emphasizes that employees must continue their work as directed by the Chinese leadership, with salaries, bonuses, and other compensation to be paid by Nexperia China, not Nexperia Netherlands. Nexperia Netherlands has acknowledged awareness of the letter but has not commented further.

Dutch Minister for Economic Affairs, Vincent Karremans, is scheduled to meet with a Chinese government official soon to discuss resolving the standoff, he said in an interview on the Dutch television show Buitenhof. Karremans hopes to find a solution with China regarding the export ban on Nexperia chips and has stated that Dutch diplomats have been working to resolve the issue. He also noted that Chinese carmakers rely on Nexperia's chips, indicating a mutually dependent relationship and shared interest in finding a resolution.

China had previously expressed strong opposition to the Dutch government's move, viewing the intervention as an abuse of national security. The China Semiconductor Industry Association (CSIA) has voiced its disapproval of using national security concerns to impose restrictions on Chinese companies' overseas branches. Furthermore, China also imposed an export ban on Nexperia's Chinese branch, affecting products with both civilian and military applications