On Wednesday, January 14th, 2026, a Dutch court will hold a hearing to decide whether to launch an investigation into alleged mismanagement at chip manufacturer Nexperia, a court spokesperson told Reuters on Monday.
The case began in September 2025. The Dutch Department of Economic Affairs invoked the Goods Availability Act to take control of Nexperia.
Secretary Vincent Karremans had concerns regarding “serious governance shortcomings and actions.” These involved improper transfer of product assets, funds, technology, and knowledge to a foreign entity.
Zhang Xuezheng, CEO of Nexperia, was engaged in a conflict of interest and tried to dismiss three critical, non-Chinese board members. According to the Secretary, these signals posed a threat to “the continuity and safeguarding on Dutch and European soil of crucial technological knowledge and capabilities.”
Therefore, the Amsterdam Court decided to dismiss Nexperia’s CEO at the beginning of October.
Wingtech, the Chinese owner of Nexperia, accused the Dutch government of staging a coup. In response, China blocked the export of chips from Nexperia’s factory. Car manufacturers and their suppliers were left in uncertainty for weeks because of potential chip shortages.
To smooth things over, Secretary Karremans sent diplomats to China, which resulted in Beijing lifting the export ban.
“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. We see this as a show of goodwill,” Secretary Karremans wrote in a letter addressed to the House of Representatives.
However, matters aren’t fully resolved between the Netherlands and China. There is still the matter of accusations of alleged mismanagement at Nexperia.
A court spokesperson told Reuters that a Dutch court will hold a hearing on January 14th to hear arguments from both sides. Nexperia stated it would argue that the court should uphold its earlier decisions.
“Nexperia’s position is that there were indeed sound reasons to doubt the course of affairs and that an investigation must be ordered,” the company said in a statement.
A spokesperson for Wingtech confirmed the court date.
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