The dispute over control between Dutch chip manufacturer Nexperia BV and its holding company, Wingtech Technology Co., has escalated into a fierce legal battle.
According to reports from Bloomberg, during the court hearing held on Wednesday (January 14), senior executives at Nexperia publicly accused the Chinese boss of engaging in “personal attacks” and “threats”. The two sides not only clashed on issues related to technology transfer but also engaged in a heated war of words in court.
The Amsterdam Enterprise Chamber is currently weighing whether to initiate a formal investigation into Wingtech founder Zhang Xuezheng’s management of the company. Earlier, the court had temporarily suspended Nexperia’s CEO from his position.
Director Guido Dierick, appointed by the court, disclosed during the hearing that Zhang’s representatives were attempting to pressure Nexperia through personal attacks.
Dierick bluntly stated, “They were making threats and attacking the integrity of three senior Nexperia executives present, including myself.”
Nexperia’s legal representatives in court listed several “radical changes” by Wingtech and its affiliated companies WingSkySemi and WinWorld, trying to demonstrate that the Chinese side is attempting to “exploit” Nexperia’s European resources:
“Project Rainbow”:
Alleged to be a guise for risk management while transferring technology to China, including copying design data from US servers to China.
Secret Plant Sale:
Accusing Zhang Xuezheng of secretly planning to sell European factories without the knowledge of European management.
“Hostage” of Subsidiaries:
Claiming that Nexperia China has ceased cooperation with the Dutch headquarters and even refused to pay for wafers produced by European factories, effectively treating the Chinese subsidiary as a “hostage”.
Wingtech’s legal representatives categorically denied the accusations. They emphasized that prior to the court intervention, Nexperia had performed well and even achieved its best quarterly performance in history. The lawyer argued that the so-called technology transfer plan was merely a contingency response to US sanctions.
Wingtech also accused the intervention of the Dutch government and the court of “damaging” the confidence of international investors in the Netherlands’ open economy, claiming that Chinese investors were facing “unequal treatment”.
According to Dutch newspaper “Financieele Dagblad” (FD), the conflict between Nexperia’s management and Wingtech has escalated into a “financial war”. Nexperia alleges that the Chinese subsidiary is currently withholding up to €150 million (approximately $163 million) in payments, attempting to extort the Dutch headquarters. Additionally, Reuters revealed that representatives from the Dutch government discreetly attended the hearing, indicating that this corporate dispute has evolved into a geopolitical game between China and the Netherlands over “technological sovereignty”.
This hearing is not just a legal battle between two companies but a microcosm of the disconnection in the semiconductor relationship between China and the Netherlands. If the court decides to initiate a formal investigation, Nexperia will continue to be controlled by court-appointed personnel; if the investigation is rejected, Wingtech will regain control of this European automotive chip giant. The judge is expected to make a decision in the coming weeks.