Dutch semiconductor company headquartered in Nijmegen, spun off from NXP, which was itself a spin-off from Philips. Nexperia produces less sophisticated transistors but is a significant supplier to the European car industry, with revenues of around $2bn. Part of the Netherlands' broader semiconductor ecosystem.
In 2019 Nexperia was bought by Zhang Xuezheng, a Chinese entrepreneur, through his holding group Wingtech.
In September 2025 the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs quietly took control of Nexperia, invoking a cold war-era law that had gathered dust for 73 years. A week later an Amsterdam business court suspended Mr Zhang (known by his nickname "Wing") as CEO, replacing him with a Dutch interim chief. The moves were among the most aggressive steps yet by European governments to protect strategic industries from China.
The Dutch were prompted by fears that Mr Zhang was undermining Nexperia in favour of his Chinese companies and by threats from America: the Department of Commerce had put Wingtech on a sanctions list and extended export controls to companies whose majority owners are sanctioned. Mr Zhang had reportedly frustrated negotiations on guaranteeing Nexperia's independence.
Dutch executives raised alarms that Nexperia had become a regular client of a chip foundry in Shanghai that Wingtech set up in 2020. The Amsterdam court cited claims that Mr Zhang was trying to divert cash from Nexperia to prop up the financially troubled foundry. The firm's chief financial officer and two other executives found their access to company accounts revoked; another senior financial officer quit, writing in an email that Nexperia had become "purely Chinese".
The Netherlands is a bright spot in Europe's struggling semiconductor industry: ASML's technological lead gives it a monopoly on the world's most advanced chip-printing machines, and NXP makes specialised chips for cars. In 2024 the Dutch government announced Project Beethoven, a €2.5bn programme to subsidise its chip industry.
In retaliation, the Chinese government placed export controls on Nexperia's suppliers. Chips were drip-fed to European firms—"enough not to die, but not enough to live", as one German industry figure put it—making it hard for manufacturers to plan. Several European firms warned of production stoppages; a few German companies put some workers on leave without pay.
In November 2025 the Dutch government, presumably spooked by the grim consequences for European industry, backed down and revoked its takeover decree, though a legal battle over control of the company continues in Dutch courts. To obtain rare-earth and chip licences, European firms had to supply far more detailed information about their products, supply chains and customers than they would ever share voluntarily.
The difference between America and England is that the English think 100 miles is a long distance and the Americans think 100 years is a long time.