【By Observer News, Ruan Jiaqi】
Regarding the issue of the Dutch government seizing a Chinese semiconductor company that has led to chip "supply cutoff", on November 1, the Chinese Ministry of Commerce announced that as a responsible major country, China will comprehensively consider the actual situation of enterprises and exempt eligible exports. The Chinese government welcomes enterprises encountering actual difficulties to contact China in a timely manner.
This move was generally interpreted by foreign media as "China releasing signals of easing export controls," and the possibility of resuming chip supply could effectively alleviate market concerns, giving global automobile manufacturers on the verge of production cuts or shutdowns "a sigh of relief".
Following this, Anson China released a customer notice on the 2nd, stating that it has established sufficient finished goods and work-in-progress inventory, which can steadily and continuously meet the order demands of a wide range of customers until the end of the year and even for a longer period, ensuring the security and reliability of the supply chain.
Now, the Anson Semiconductor seized by the Netherlands has become a "hot potato." According to Reuters on the 4th, a letter dated "November 3" addressed to customers was obtained, in which Anson (Netherlands) informed affected customers that it cannot determine whether the chip supply from its Dongguan factory in China can be restored or when it will be restored.
The report stated that in this letter, which should be regarded as a "formal force majeure notice," Anson (Netherlands) made excuses, claiming that before regaining "supply chain regulatory authority" over the Dongguan factory, the company could not "supervise the feasibility and delivery time of products from the factory." However, the letter made no mention of the fact that it was Anson (Netherlands) who had previously stopped supplying wafers, leading to Anson (China)'s inability to produce normally, causing turbulence and chaos in the global semiconductor supply chain.
The statement added, "We are quickly further clarifying the scope and specific consequences of the impact of the relevant measures taken by China on Anson Semiconductor's production facilities and subcontractors in China."
The Dutch technology website "Bits&Chips" pointed out that about 70% of Anson Semiconductor's products are completed in China, so unless a solution is reached through diplomatic channels, the European front market will face an emergency shortage of packaging capacity.
The report also mentioned that although Anson (Netherlands) is urgently seeking new external packaging partners, and plans to expand factories in Malaysia and the Philippines, these measures are not temporary solutions. Just the expansion of factories alone would take at least one year to complete.
An employee of Anson Semiconductor walks through the company's clean room. Visual China
According to Reuters, Anson (Netherlands) also accused in the letter that it could not ensure the quality of the chip supply related to the Dongguan factory.
In response, Anson (China) issued a customer notice on the 2nd, reiterating that the claim by Anson (Netherlands) that "local management recently failed to comply with the agreed contract payment terms" is completely baseless, maliciously slandering the management of Anson China. Anson China did not breach the contract; on the contrary, Anson (Netherlands) currently owes the Dongguan packaging and testing factory (ATGD) 1 billion yuan in payments.
Anson (China) emphasized that to ensure the long-term stability and resilience of the supply, the company has actively initiated multiple contingency plans, is accelerating verification of new wafer capacity, and is confident in completing the verification within a short period and seamlessly meeting all customer needs starting next year.
Hong Kong's South China Morning Post reported on the 3rd that despite possible blockages in wafer supplies from Europe, Anson (China) is still expected to deliver products to clients in the domestic semiconductor supply chain.
The report cited a report from the industrial consulting company "Intelligent Automotive," stating that several Chinese wafer manufacturers, including Wuxi Xinjie Energy Power Semiconductor Co., Ltd., Hangzhou Silan Microelectronics Co., Ltd., and Yangzhou Yangjie Electronic Technology Co., Ltd., are able to supply wafers to Anson (China) located in Dongguan.
Lin Shi, secretary-general of the Intelligent Connected Vehicle Association of China-Europe, also said that Shanghai Dingtaijiangxin Technology Co., Ltd., which is also part of Wen Tai Technology, may also provide wafers to Anson China. According to its official website information, Dingtaijiangxin invested 1.2 billion yuan in building a factory producing 12-inch wafers in Shanghai.
The Hong Kong media report also mentioned that the China Semiconductor Industry Association recently also pledged to firmly support member units such as Wen Tai Technology in safeguarding their legitimate rights and interests, maintaining a fair, impartial, non-discriminatory business environment and the stability of the global supply chain, meaning that resources may be mobilized across the entire industry to support Anson (China).
Earlier reports by Reuters mentioned that German automotive parts suppliers are urgently seeking exemptions from Chinese export restrictions on Anson Semiconductor chips, hoping to resolve this trade impasse through political solutions.
Global automotive parts giant Germany's ZF (AF) stated that it is maintaining communication with Chinese authorities through its Chinese subsidiary. Another insider also revealed that Aumovio, a car parts supplier spun off from the German Continental Group, has also applied for exemptions and submitted relevant materials to the Chinese Ministry of Commerce.
The report stated that companies welcomed signs of easing trade disputes, but industry insiders said they remain concerned that the exemption application process might be complex and the approval time remains unclear.
"China has indeed slightly relaxed the regulations on inventory exports," said Dominik Zillner from the German electronics component distributor Components at Service. He added that this must be approved by the Chinese Ministry of Commerce.
On November 4, the Ministry of Commerce again answered questions regarding Anson Semiconductor.
The spokesperson for the Ministry of Commerce once again emphasized that the Dutch government issued an administrative order on September 30, improperly intervening in internal affairs of Anson Semiconductor, followed by a court ruling by the Dutch enterprise court that wrongly deprived Chinese enterprises of equity, seriously infringing on the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese enterprises. Afterward, the Dutch government did not show a constructive attitude or actions despite repeated reasonable requests from China during consultations, and escalated the global supply chain crisis. Anson (Netherlands) announced on October 26 that it would stop supplying wafers to Anson (China), causing the latter to be unable to produce normally, resulting in turbulence and chaos in the global semiconductor supply chain. The Dutch side should bear full responsibility for this.
The spokesperson for the Ministry of Commerce pointed out that China, in a responsible attitude towards the stability and safety of the global semiconductor supply chain, announced on November 1 that it would exempt eligible exports and strive to promote the resumption of supply from Anson (China). However, the Dutch side continues to act unilaterally without practical actions to solve the problem, which will inevitably deepen the negative impact on the global semiconductor supply chain. This is something that China and the global industry do not want to see.
The spokesperson for the Ministry of Commerce stated that China hopes that the Dutch side, from the perspective of safeguarding the overall interests of Sino-Dutch and Sino-EU economic and trade relations and the stability and safety of the supply chain, will take a responsible attitude and work with China to find a constructive solution to the Anson Semiconductor issue. At the same time, China will firmly protect the legitimate rights and interests of enterprises and strive to maintain the stable and smooth operation of the global semiconductor supply chain.
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