Hello everyone, I am Lao Chen. Recently, a piece of news has gone viral online: the Netherlands has “returned” the Chinese company Nexperia, which it had controlled for over a month. The term used is “suspend intervention,” which is quite deliberate. Today, I will discuss this topic with you.
At the end of September, the Dutch government suddenly announced it needed to “protect national security” and directly took over Nexperia, a subsidiary of the Chinese company Wingtech Technology. This is a legitimate business that has been operating for ten years, paying taxes, employing people, and conducting research and development, yet it was suddenly frozen in its global operations.
In early October, China quickly implemented measures to prohibit the export of products from Nexperia’s factories in China. Nexperia’s testing and packaging plants in China account for over 70% of its global production capacity! With this move, the Netherlands was left with only 30% of its capacity available, causing immediate panic among European car manufacturers due to the chip shortage, threatening to halt production lines!
German car manufacturers urgently called The Hague to ask what the Dutch government intended to do. The Dutch Minister of Economic Affairs remained defiant, going on to British media to claim he was a “lone hero,” warning Europe not to rely on China. However, no matter how beautifully he spoke, the halt in production lines translates to real losses!
On November 19, Dutch Minister of Economic Affairs Karremans issued a statement on social media: “Suspend intervention in Nexperia”. Bloomberg reported that this means control has been returned to the Chinese side.
The Netherlands’ “suspension” leaves the legal tools for administrative intervention still available, which can be used again at any time. Politically, it also provides a way out for themselves—”showing goodwill” today, and “we’ll see how it goes tomorrow.”
This is not an admission of error; it is a compromise under pressure. The pressure comes from the urgency of European car manufacturers, from China’s precise countermeasures, and from the alarm bells of global supply chain disruptions.
However, do not think that this matter is completely resolved. The tail of that “suspension” is still swinging! The Dutch Minister of Economic Affairs stated, “Discussions with Chinese authorities are still ongoing.” Translated, this means: we are riding a donkey to watch a play—let’s wait and see.
What truly deserves our attention is that certain Western countries often use “national security” as an excuse. Today they can seize your company, and tomorrow they may restrict your technology. This tendency towards “over-securitization” is the biggest hidden danger.
The Nexperia incident is not just a simple business dispute. It demonstrates to the world China’s determination and capability to protect the legitimate rights and interests of its enterprises. In the past, Chinese companies were often bullied overseas and could only suffer in silence. Now it is different; we have the strength, means, and confidence to say “no.”
In the interdependent global industrial chain, unilateralism and bullying behavior are bound to hit a wall. If you target one of my companies, I will let your entire industrial chain be affected—this is not a threat; it is a reality.
The Netherlands’ choice to “suspend” is superficially a way to save face, but in reality, it is a forced recognition of reality. BASF in Germany chose to focus on the market and business, reaping rich rewards; the Netherlands blindly followed the United States and paid a heavy price.
This world is not as peaceful as it seems; what allows you to live a stable life is the strength and wisdom of the nation. The Nexperia incident tells us: We can reason, but we must never lack confidence; we are willing to engage in dialogue, but we are not afraid of struggle.
That’s all for today’s topic. Feel free to leave comments for discussion!
(Note: Some sentences in this article were generated through AI refinement, and the content has been verified.)Source:2025-11-19 Observer Network: “Dutch Minister of Economic Affairs: Suspend Intervention in Nexperia”