China's Wingtech says its control over Nexperia must be restored

By Eduardo Baptista and Toby Sterling

BEIJING/AMSTERDAM (Reuters) -China's Wingtech said on Thursday that its control over Netherlands-based Nexperia must be restored, a day after the Dutch government suspended its seizure of the chipmaker that has been at the centre of a global supply chain crisis.

Despite the suspension, which China's commerce ministry welcomed on Wednesday, Beijing and now Wingtech have since called for the reversal of a Dutch court ruling last month that stripped Wingtech of its control over Nexperia as the next step to resolve the dispute. 

Wingtech said the Dutch government had evaded addressing the court ruling.

"Wingtech Technology will never accept any attempt to 'legalise' illegal outcomes, nor will it accept a 'new normal' of Nexperia's equity and governance created through illegal procedures," it said in a long statement.

The statement appears to be looking ahead to a legal battle brewing in a Dutch court over control of Nexperia, a major manufacturer of computer chips for the car and consumer electronics industries. 

Beijing has in recent weeks eased export controls imposed in early October on Nexperia chips packaged in China, providing temporary relief to automakers and their suppliers worldwide.

It has warned, however, that issues such as the court ruling need to be resolved before supply chains return to normal.

AN ONGOING DISPUTE

Following the Dutch government's September 30 intervention, European managers at Nexperia successfully petitioned the Amsterdam Enterprise Chamber to have then-CEO Zhang Xuezheng removed, alleging mismanagement. Wingtech has rejected the claims.

According to court documents, Nexperia had been preparing in early 2025 to change its corporate structure to escape falling onto the U.S. "entity list" of companies considered a security threat. Wingtech itself has been on the U.S. list since December 2024. 

The Dutch court's preliminary decisions on October 1 and 7 transferred Wingtech's shares to the control of a Dutch lawyer.

On Thursday, Wingtech accused the Dutch government of being the instigator and driving force behind these court proceedings, calling on it to withdraw its participation and support.

The court told Reuters on Thursday that the chamber must decide "within a reasonable period" whether to order a full investigation into alleged mismanagement. No date has yet been set.

(Reporting by Eduardo Baptista; Editing by Alexandra Hudson and Emelia Sithole-Matarise)