Sam Cooper

Court-approved removal of executive Zhang Xuezheng bears hallmarks of counter-intelligence concern

The Dutch government has taken control of Chinese-owned semiconductor manufacturer Nexperia, invoking an urgent national-security law directed at Beijing to safeguard Europe’s access to critical technology used across the automotive and electronics industries.

In a statement issued late Sunday, the Ministry of Economic Affairs said it had taken the “highly exceptional” decision to invoke the Goods Availability Act on September 30. The move followed “recent and acute signals” of such “significant scale and urgency” involving “serious governance shortcomings and actions within Nexperia” that Minister Vincent Karremans was compelled to intervene.

“The decision aims to prevent a situation in which the goods produced by Nexperia would become unavailable in an emergency,” the ministry said.

It is not known what specific information Dutch authorities gathered on Nexperia executive Zhang Xuezheng, who has been suspended from all management and board positions, but the move, approved by the Amsterdam Court of Appeal, has the hallmarks of a national security alert deemed severe by Dutch lawmakers.

Nexperia, headquartered in Nijmegen, produces semiconductors used widely in the European automotive industry and consumer electronics and is a key link in the continent’s industrial supply chain. The government said normal production will continue, but Karremans now has powers to block or reverse company decisions that could harm national or European interests.

The ministry’s order bars Nexperia and all its global subsidiaries, branches, and offices from making any adjustments to their assets, intellectual property, business operations, or personnel for one year.

Nexperia’s Chinese parent company, Wingtech Technology Co., a Shanghai-listed conglomerate placed on the U.S. Commerce Department’s Entity List in 2023, denounced the Dutch move, saying it “constitutes an act of excessive interference driven by geopolitical bias, not by fact-based risk assessment.” Wingtech said the measure “gravely contravenes the European Union’s long-standing advocacy for market-economy principles, fair competition, and international trade norms,” and “strongly” protested “discriminatory treatment toward a Chinese-owned enterprise.”

Wingtech disclosed to the Shanghai Stock Exchange that it had been notified of the Dutch order on September 30, but the government did not make the intervention public until October 12.

The Dutch government’s action marks the first time the Netherlands has used its emergency powers to seize control of Chinese-state linked company — an escalation that mirrors Washington’s strategic-industrial posture and signals Europe’s entry into a new era of techno-sovereignty.

In Britain, Nexperia’s ownership structure had already triggered alarm. In 2021, the company’s acquisition of Newport Wafer Fab, the UK’s largest semiconductor plant, was blocked by the Conservative government over national-security fears. The UK later ordered Nexperia to divest most of its stake under the National Security and Investment Act in 2022.

The controversy resurfaced this year amid the collapse of a high-profile espionage prosecution under Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s government. The Mail on Sunday reported, citing an unidentified source, that Christopher Berry—one of two men previously charged with spying for China—“sent details of the row within government on the Newport Wafer Fab semiconductor factory, which was initially sold to Nexperia but later blocked by the Conservative government over national-security fears.”

The Netherlands’ intervention follows escalating moves by allied governments to tighten control over critical-tech supply chains. Just days earlier, Beijing imposed sweeping export restrictions on rare-earth minerals, essential for cars, wind turbines, and electronics, citing “national security” grounds — mirroring Western justifications for semiconductor controls. The action drew a strong counter-threat from U.S. President Donald Trump, who warned that Washington could impose 100 percent additional tariffs on all Chinese goods if Beijing “weaponizes its mineral dominance.”

A semi-detente appeared to emerge after Trump’s weekend remarks suggesting a pause in escalation. But the Dutch government’s unilateral action underscores a global race to secure access to critical industrial components amid fears of spreading conflict in Europe and rising tensions in Asia.

MxM News

Quick Hit:

All 20 surviving Israeli hostages were freed by Hamas on Monday under President Trump’s peace plan, returning to Israel after more than two years in captivity. The exchange, part of Trump’s 20-point peace plan, marks the official end of the Gaza war.

Key Details:

• The first seven hostages were released around 2:30 a.m. ET Monday, with the remaining 13 freed hours later. All 20 were reportedly able to walk to Red Cross vehicles without assistance.
• Families were reunited through emotional video calls after 738 days apart. Among those freed were twin brothers Gali and Ziv Berman, who had been separated in captivity.
• The bodies of 28 deceased hostages are expected to be transferred to Israel in the coming days, while nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners will be released as part of the exchange.

Watch the moments that Rom Broslavski, Nimrod Cohen, and Eitan Horn were welcomed back home into Israel by the IDF 🇮🇱 pic.twitter.com/panFrDZfoI

— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) October 13, 2025

Tears of joy. pic.twitter.com/vb7tGZqAY9

— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) October 13, 2025

Diving Deeper:

All surviving Israeli hostages held by Hamas in Gaza were released Monday following the implementation of President Donald Trump’s cease-fire agreement — a sweeping deal that has brought an end to the war and set in motion plans for Hamas’ disarmament.

The International Committee of the Red Cross oversaw the transfer of all 20 living hostages, who emerged from Gaza under their own power and were handed over to Israeli forces before being transported to hospitals for medical evaluation. Emotional scenes followed as families connected with their loved ones for the first time in more than two years. In one particularly poignant moment, twin brothers Gali and Ziv Berman — who had been held separately since October 2023 — embraced in a tearful reunion.

The exchange also includes the return of 28 bodies still held by Hamas. Their repatriation will take place in stages throughout the week, according to Israeli officials. The release fulfills a major milestone in Trump’s 20-point Gaza peace plan, which was brokered with the support of Egypt, Qatar, and Jordan. The agreement requires Hamas to surrender its remaining weapons, disband its militant wings, and cede control of Gaza to an international transitional authority.

The hostage crisis began during the October 7, 2023, terror attacks on southern Israel, when Hamas militants stormed across the border, kidnapping more than 250 civilians. Survivors of earlier exchanges described brutal conditions in captivity, including torture, starvation, and psychological abuse. Some hostages were executed when Israeli troops approached Hamas strongholds, including six victims shot at point-blank range last September.

The war left much of Gaza in ruins, with Israeli operations dismantling Hamas’s tunnel networks and command infrastructure. According to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry, more than 67,000 Palestinians were killed — a figure that does not distinguish between militants and civilians.

Trump’s cease-fire framework, announced last week, called for a complete Israeli withdrawal from most of Gaza, an end to rocket fire, and an international effort to oversee the territory’s reconstruction. In return, Israel secured the unconditional release of all living hostages and the recovery of the dead. The plan’s next phase will focus on humanitarian coordination, economic stabilization, and the eventual formation of a demilitarized Palestinian administration.

For the families of those held captive, it marks the end of a long nightmare — and, as many said Monday, the start of long-awaited healing.