The Dutch government said on Wednesday that it was handing back control of the chipmaker Nexperia to its Chinese parent company, in an effort to ease tensions that had flared after the Netherlands was caught in a tussle between Washington and Beijing over electronics supply chains.
Dutch officials made the decision after consulting with the European and international partners and “constructive meetings” with the Chinese authorities, the Dutch economic affairs minister, Vincent Karremans, said in a social media post.
The Dutch government had taken over Nexperia, which is owned by the Chinese company Wingtech, on Sept. 30, after the United States expanded a trade blacklist that meant Nexperia would face strict controls on its operations. The Netherlands said then that company decisions would be determined by Mr. Karremans, and that it had taken that step in an effort to prevent Nexperia’s products from becoming unavailable in an emergency.
Nexperia has headquarters in the Dutch city of Nijmegen and employs thousands of people across Europe, the United States and Asia. It operates a supply chain that spans the globe, designing and manufacturing older types of chips used in cars and electronics.
The uncertainty over the availability of Nexperia’s chips had raised concerns of a global shortage among automakers like Volkswagen and Mercedes-Benz, which use the chips to power systems like windshield wipers and brakes. The Japanese automaker Nissan said earlier this month that it would cut production at two plants because of a lack of the chips.
The company is just one of those caught in the battle for the global chip industry, in which both the United States and China have claimed authority over supply chains for semiconductors and rare earth minerals, critical components for today’s technologies.
Mr. Karremans gave no details of the reasons behind Wednesday’s decision but said it had been taken “as a show of good will.”
“We are positive about the measures already taken by the Chinese authorities to ensure the supply of chips to Europe and the rest of the world,” he said in the statement. He said that talks with the Chinese authorities would continue.
The U.S. Department of Commerce placed trade restrictions on Wingtech last December. In June, American officials told the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs that Nexperia could be next, unless the company replaced its Chinese chief executive, Zhang Xuezheng.
Matthew Mpoke Bigg is a London-based reporter on the Live team at The Times, which covers breaking and developing news.
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