On Friday, November 7th, Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof stated that Beijing has agreed to resume chip exports from Nexperia’s China factory, but the legal proceedings against their CEO, Zhang Xuezheng, remain in effect.
Zhang Xuezheng also serves as the CEO of China’s Parent Company, Winthai Technologies, of this Dutch semiconductor company.
Winthai denied the Dutch government’s allegations against Zhang Xuezheng and demanded the restoration of his position as Nexperia’s CEO. Earlier, after complaints from Nexperia’s management, an Amsterdam court suspended Zhang Xuezheng from the CEO position on October 7th.
Schoof expressed that “the process regarding the CEO remains valid,” but it is not the focal point for resuming chip deliveries.
He added, “We all agree this is another issue that needs to be discussed.”
Officials from the Netherlands and China held consultations in Europe this week, with Beijing agreeing to continue talks on the matter in China. The spokesperson for China’s Ministry of Commerce continued to pressure the Netherlands in a statement on Saturday, demanding the cancellation of the Dutch government’s takeover of Nexperia.
Bloomberg cited sources on Friday revealing that the Netherlands is preparing to lift the government administrative order on Nexperia, with an announcement expected as early as next week. However, the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs has not confirmed this information.
In September 2025, Nexperia’s Chief Legal Officer, Ruben Lichtenberg, and its CFO and COO submitted an urgent application to the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs, calling for a review of “changes in company control and potential national security risks.”
Following an investigation, the Dutch government exercised a veto in late September over Nexperia due to concerns that its parent company, Winthai Technologies, was weakening the semiconductor manufacturer’s capabilities and endangering the supply of critical components.
The Dutch government pointed out that Zhang Xuezheng’s actions constituted “misuse of financial resources for personal gain by the CEO and his other companies in China.”
Meanwhile, the Corporate Court of the Amsterdam Court of Appeal initiated an investigation into Nexperia after receiving lawsuits against the company’s executives.
On October 7th, the Court ordered the temporary suspension of Zhang Xuezheng from his CEO position at Nexperia during the investigation. They also appointed a temporary non-executive director with decisive voting rights and transferred the majority of Nexperia’s shares to a court-appointed administrator.
In retaliation against the Netherlands, China’s Ministry of Commerce issued an export control notice on October 4th, prohibiting Nexperia China and its subcontractors from exporting specific finished products and subcomponents manufactured in China.
While most of Nexperia’s wafers are produced in Europe, 70% are sent to China for packaging before being sold to distributors.
The company’s chips are widely used in the automotive manufacturing sector. The export ban on Nexperia chips by China has put pressure on the global automotive supply chain, leading some automakers to reduce production to cope with the chip shortage.
Maroš Šefčovič, the EU Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security, stated in a release on Saturday that China’s Ministry of Commerce had confirmed simplifying export procedures for Nexperia semiconductor chips destined for EU and global customers.
Šefčovič further mentioned, “China’s Ministry of Commerce will grant permit exemptions to all exporters on the condition of declaring goods for civilian use. This measure takes effect immediately.”
Schoof, during the climate summit in Belém, Brazil on Friday, informed the media, “The Chinese side has notified us that they will allow Nexperia semiconductor to resume supplying from the Chinese factory.”
Schoof mentioned, “This is also good news for German car factories.” He had just concluded a meeting with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.
“We are currently unsure about the delivery speed, but I believe this is an important signal, and Chancellor Merz appreciates it because it is crucial for Germany,” he said.
Merz added that there are positive signs suggesting that Nexperia chip production at the Chinese factory may commence delivery within the next few hours.