BEIJING, Dec. 31 (Reuters) – China on Wednesday urged the Netherlands to immediately correct its “mistakes” and remove obstacles to ensure the stability of global chip production and supply chains.
China’s Ministry of Commerce said in a statement: “The Netherlands is indifferent and insists on going its own way. It has no responsible attitude towards the security of the global semiconductor supply chain and has not taken any substantive actions.”
In September, the Netherlands took control of Nexperia, the Dutch subsidiary of China’s Wingtech Technology, saying it aimed to prevent the founders from transferring company secrets and production to China.
Beijing retaliated by blocking the export of Nexperia chips, most of which are packaged in China.
While Wingtech has begun talks with the court-appointed trustee of Nexperia over control of the Dutch chipmaker, Economic Affairs Minister Vincent Karremans defended his decision to intervene.
In a recent interview with De Telegraaf, Karremans once again defended his actions against Nexperia.
“I don’t think it’s pleasant, but it’s necessary,” he told the Dutch daily. “And I’m not going to let my decision be influenced by whether it’s pleasant or not.”
In response to Karemans’s comments, China’s Ministry of Commerce called the Dutch position “confusing.”
“China has repeatedly emphasized that the Netherlands’ improper administrative interference in Nexperia’s internal affairs has led to a crisis in the global semiconductor supply chain, for which the Netherlands must bear full responsibility.”
(Reporting by Ryan Woo; Editing by Clarence Fernandez and Saad Sayeed)