【By Liu Bai, Observer】The Dutch government probably never imagined that taking action against Nexperia would have such serious consequences.

After the Dutch government's intervention, the Dongguan factory of Nexperia had previously restricted shipments. According to a report by the German newspaper Bild on October 21, due to the shortage of semiconductor supplies, Volkswagen is preparing to suspend production of some key models, and it is expected that the Golf model at the Wolfsburg plant will be suspended first, followed by the Tiguan model shortly after.

The report directly points out that the trigger for this dilemma of Europe's largest automobile manufacturer is related to the dispute with the chipmaker Nexperia. The report states that under pressure from the United States, the Netherlands took over the company affiliated with China's Wenxiang Technology on September 30, and subsequently, China restricted the export of relevant components from mainland China. Since then, part of Nexperia's chip production has come to a standstill.

The impact of this conflict is not only on Volkswagen but the entire automotive industry. The semiconductors of Nexperia are not directly supplied to automobile manufacturers, but are integrated into components by suppliers.

According to an insider from the Volkswagen Group, the company still has sufficient raw materials to maintain production this week. However, chips may run out next week, and at that time, the production of certain models will be forced to stop.

On October 13, the Volkswagen factory in Zwickau, Saxony, Germany. Visual China

For Volkswagen, such a shutdown would be catastrophic. The company is already facing heavy pressure due to declining sales in two important markets, China and the US, as well as significant investments in products and technology. The CFO of the company, Arno Antlitz, recently warned internally that Volkswagen needs 11 billion euros in funds next year alone, otherwise it will not be able to achieve its planned investment program.

In addition to selling parts of its assets, Volkswagen also hopes to increase revenue by increasing sales. However, if the semiconductor crisis continues, this goal will be difficult to achieve.

At present, representatives of the Volkswagen Group have contacted the labor office to apply for short-time work for some employees.

Industry experts say that initially, thousands of employees may be affected, and if the crisis is not resolved in time, the number of affected people could increase to tens of thousands, depending on how quickly the crisis is resolved.

A Volkswagen spokesperson emphasized that the company is continuously analyzing the situation in the semiconductor market and pointed out that there are sufficient raw materials for short-term production.

This is not the first time the automotive industry has faced a chip crisis. During the pandemic, global supply chains were disrupted, and the semiconductor supply system collapsed. At that time, Volkswagen, like Mercedes and BMW, expanded its own supply chain channels.

But the problem with Nexperia this time is that certain specific chips currently have no real alternative suppliers.

Recently, China's leading semiconductor company Wenxiang Technology has encountered major regulatory challenges, and its core asset Nexperia, headquartered in the Netherlands, had its assets, intellectual property, etc., frozen for one year starting September 30 due to the Dutch government's directive.

At the same time, the CEO appointed by Wenxiang Technology was suspended from his duties. The Dutch authorities also required the appointment of a foreign director with decisive voting rights, and all shares (minus one) of Nexperia were to be托管 to personnel designated and announced later.

Subsequently, media visited, and after the Dutch government's intervention, the Dongguan factory of Nexperia limited shipments after the National Day and Mid-Autumn Festival holiday, planning to implement "four days on, three days off." Wenxiang Technology stated that the Chinese region is "independent self-rescue," and has connected the domestic supply chain. But "Chinaizing" the supply chain is not easy, involving technical transfer, customer certification, and other difficulties. Nexperia is applying for regulatory exemptions, but there is no clear answer yet on when supplies will resume.

On October 19, Ansheng Semiconductor China Company published an open letter titled "Ansheng China to All Employees" through its WeChat official account, emphasizing that all employees should continue to follow the work instructions of the domestic company. For any external instructions not approved by the legal representative of the domestic company of Ansheng (even if transmitted through Outlook, Teams, etc.), employees have the right to refuse to execute them without constituting a violation of work discipline or laws and regulations.

According to a report by the Dutch NOS radio station on the 17th, although court documents from the Dutch court show that the US had contacted the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, clearly requesting the "replacement" of the Chinese leadership of the Chinese-funded enterprise Ansheng Semiconductor, Dutch Minister of Economic Affairs Vincent Kaelmann still tried to justify that the country's "historic intervention" against Chinese enterprises was not pressured by the US, but instead accused the Chinese side of "mixing facts".

According to the website of the Ministry of Commerce, on October 21, Minister of Commerce Wang Wentao called with Dutch Minister of Economic Affairs Kaelmann, exchanging views on issues such as Ansheng Semiconductor.

Wang Wentao stated that the Chinese side highly values Sino-Dutch economic and trade cooperation. The measures taken by the Dutch government regarding Ansheng Semiconductor have seriously affected the stability of the global supply chain. The Chinese side urges the Dutch government to take into account the overall situation of maintaining the security and stability of the global supply chain, uphold the spirit of contract and the principles of marketization and rule of law, and solve the problem as soon as possible in a proper manner, protect the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese investors, and create a fair, transparent and predictable business environment.

Kaelmann stated that the Dutch side highly values the Sino-Dutch economic and trade relations and is willing to closely communicate with China to find a constructive solution to the Ansheng Semiconductor issue.

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