According to Bloomberg News, on October 12 local time, the Dutch government suddenly took coercive intervention measures against Anshi Semiconductor, a subsidiary of China company Wentai Technology, suspended the position of Chinese management and handed over the company's equity to a third party.
Two days after the incident, Dutch chip manufacturer Nexperia suddenly discovered that the Chinese government had banned Nexperia from exporting products from China. This move not only caught the Netherlands by surprise, but also sent a clear warning to the whole EU.
The core of the incident lies in the Dutch government's interference in the normal operation of Chinese-funded enterprises on the grounds of trumped-up "national security".
Zhou Tai Technologies acquired Anxi Semiconductor through Hong Kong's Zhou Jian Holding, becoming its full-funded parent company.
However, the Dutch corporate court ruled to suspend Wingtech's management of Nexperia and appoint foreign independent directors to control the company's major matters. This series of measures is tantamount to depriving China of its actual control over the enterprise.
Anshi Semiconductor occupies an important position in the global semiconductor supply chain, and its chip products are widely used in automotive, consumer electronics and other industries. Dutch intervention not only damages the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese companies, but also threatens the stability of global supply chains.
In the face of the "open robbery" behavior of the Netherlands, China quickly took action and demonstrated its decisive and precise counter-measure capabilities.
China's Ministry of Commerce issued an export control announcement prohibiting Nexperia from exporting specific chip products from production bases in China.
The measure directly hit Axis Semiconductor's global supply chain, which accounts for 80% of its total production capacity in China.
As a global mature chip supplier, Anselm Semiconductor's Chinese factory is a key link to its business. China's export controls have not only impacted the Dutch semiconductor industry, but also impacted the international market in the field of chip such as automotive sensors, power management.
It is worth noting that the Dutch action was not an isolated incident, but a kind of coordination with the U.S. technology restriction policy against China.
Last year, the U.S. included ZTE in the entity list and expanded the scope of export controls through the “Affiliate Rules” to include its subsidiary, Anselm Semiconductor, among the restrictions.
The Netherlands' move is obviously a "follow-up strategy" adopted under pressure from the United States, trying to weaken China's influence in the global semiconductor field under the pretext of "national security".
However, China's countermeasures not only target the Netherlands, but also send a warning to other EU countries. The China Semiconductor Industry Association clearly stated in its statement that it opposes discriminatory measures against specific companies and emphasizes the interdependence of the global semiconductor industry chain.
Differences within the EU on semiconductor policy are also worthy of attention.
As an important country in the world's semiconductor equipment manufacturing, the Netherlands 'policy choices have a profound impact on the EU's overall strategy. However, the interests of major countries such as Germany and France in the semiconductor field are not completely consistent with those of the Netherlands.
China's precise countermeasures not only safeguard the rights and interests of enterprises, but also show the EU that technological protectionism will only lead to a lose-lose situation. How to find a balance between competition and cooperation will become the key to the EU's future policy formulation.
Will China's counter-measures be further escalated in the future? Will the Netherlands adjust its policies? How will the EU respond to the pressure of Sino-US technological competition? The answers to these questions deserve our continued attention.