China Grants Exemptions to Nexperia Chip Export Restrictions for Civilian Use

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Nov 11, 2025 - 10:55 Updated: Nov 10, 2025 - 22:08
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China Grants Exemptions to Nexperia Chip Export Restrictions for Civilian Use

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The Chinese Communist Party granted exemptions to export controls on chips manufactured by Nexperia for civilian applications, a spokesperson for China’s Ministry of Commerce said on Nov. 9.
The export restrictions had caused concern in the motor industry worldwide that there would be a shortage of chips. China imposed the restrictions after the Dutch government took control of Nexperia, a large manufacturer of basic chips used in automotive electrical systems, in September, citing national security concerns. Nexperia is based in the Netherlands but owned by Chinese company Wingtech Technology.

Dutch officials said they intervened because of “serious governance shortcomings” at Nexperia, asserting control to prevent the loss of crucial tech know-how.

The spokesperson for the Chinese ministry said the “root cause and responsibility for the current disruption” lies with the Dutch government.

The spokesperson did not specify what is considered to be civilian use in the announcement, or which exemptions had been granted.

German and Japanese companies confirmed deliveries of Nexperia’s China-manufactured chips had resumed.

Volkswagen’s China chief, Ralf Brandstatter, told German outlet Handelsblatt on Nov. 7 that “initial exports have already taken place” of Nexperia chips from China.

“How quickly and sustainably this system works will largely depend on the stability of relations between the United States and China,” he said.

Honda Executive Vice President Noriya Kaihara said she had received word that shipments had resumed the same day.

The dispute began with the Dutch government’s unprecedented move on Sept. 30 to seize control of Nexperia, invoking the Cold War-era Goods Availability Act to prevent what it described as an “acute and serious threat to the continuity of the company and thus the preservation of critical technological knowledge, as well as production and development capacities in the Netherlands and Europe.”

As part of the move, Dutch authorities suspended Nexperia CEO Zhang Xuezheng—founder of Wingtech Technology, the China-based company that owns Nexperia—and installed an interim European leadership. The decision drew immediate condemnation from Beijing and Wingtech, which accused The Hague of “discriminatory treatment” and “excessive intervention based on geopolitical bias.”

In response, Beijing blocked exports of Nexperia chips. Nexperia produces mature-node semiconductors used across most modern vehicles—components that, although not advanced, are manufactured in the tens of millions. Industry groups across Europe and the United States warned last month that the dispute could trigger supply chain shockwaves.
On Oct. 30, after a meeting between President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping, Beijing stated that it would consider exemptions to the ban.
Dutch Economy Minister Vincent Karremans said on Nov. 6 that Amsterdam welcomed the CCP’s move.

“Given the constructive nature of our talks with the Chinese authorities, the Netherlands trusts that the supply of chips from China to Europe and the rest of the world will reach Nexperia’s customers over the coming days,“ Karremans said. ”The Netherlands will closely monitor and support these developments, and will take the appropriate steps on our part where necessary.”

On Nov. 8, European Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security Maros Sefcovic, who is heading up the European Union’s response to the dispute, said he and his team had been in constant contact with authorities in China over the issue, and also welcomed the news that procedures for the export of Nexperia chips were being simplified.

He said that Brussels was continuing to work toward “a lasting, stable, predictable framework that ensures the full restoration of semiconductor flows.”

“Such stability and predictability are essential for Europe’s industrial base, supporting its global competitiveness,” Sefcovic added.

Supply Chain Sovereignty

Analysts say the Dutch government’s intervention marks a turning point in Europe’s attitude toward Chinese technology takeovers.

Sun Kuo-hsiang, an international affairs professor at Nanhua University in Taiwan, said the Netherlands’ move signals a deepening realization that the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP’s) industrial ambitions pose not only commercial but national security risks.

“First, if a single critical node in Europe’s auto industry were to fall under the control of the CCP, it would create serious supply chain risks,” he recently told The Epoch Times. “Second, there’s the risk to technological sovereignty—the manufacturing know-how, production parameters, quality systems, and R&D teams that Europe has built up over decades could be entirely transferred to subsidiaries in China and absorbed into China’s industrial system, leaving Europe’s original base hollowed out.”

Feng Chongyi, associate professor at the University of Technology Sydney, said Europe is finally acknowledging that it is already in a de facto Cold War with the CCP.

“The Cold War was fundamentally a clash between incompatible systems,” Feng told The Epoch Times. “To transfer technology to the CCP is to aid the enemy.”

The Epoch Times contacted the Dutch government and Nexperia for comment but did not receive a response by publication time.

Tom Ozimek, Michael Zhuang, and Reuters contributed to this report.
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