【By Observer News Net, Yuan Jiaqi】
Regarding the issue of the Dutch government seizing a Chinese semiconductor enterprise and causing chip "supply disruption", on November 1st, China's Ministry of Commerce announced that as a responsible major country, China will comprehensively consider the actual situation of enterprises and exempt exports that meet the conditions. It welcomes enterprises encountering practical difficulties to contact China in a timely manner.
Subsequently, it was reported that German automotive parts suppliers are urgently seeking exemptions from Chinese export restrictions on NXP Semiconductor chips, and have submitted relevant materials to China in large numbers. This includes Aumovio, an automotive parts supplier spun off from the German Continental Group.
According to a report by the UK's Financial Times on the 7th, Aumovio revealed that after obtaining Chinese export control exemptions, the export of Anshide chips from China has resumed. The company's clients include Volkswagen, Stellantis Group, and BMW Group.
The report stated that on Friday local time, Aumovio's CEO Philipp von Hirschheydt said at the company's third-quarter earnings conference, "We have again received shipments (of chips) from China."
Reuters reported that von Hirschheydt said at the meeting, "We applied for and obtained the exemption from export restrictions. We received a verbal notice the day before yesterday and the written documents yesterday." Regarding the previous precautionary measures of taking leave and stopping production, he added, "We think this is probably unnecessary now."
Von Hirschheydt later confirmed to Bloomberg that Anshide Semiconductor's factory in China has indeed restarted shipments to them. Reuters added that this is the first supplier to confirm obtaining the Chinese export control exemption.
"It will take some time for all procedures and processes to return to normal," he added. There may still be supply interruptions in the next four to six weeks, but "if the current known situation is accurate, we will not be affected."
Bloomberg cited sources who said that China has not officially lifted the export restrictions, but has sent signals to automotive companies that Anshide Semiconductor's Chinese factories can resume exports to alleviate short-term supply pressures. The source also said that although the dispute between the two sides remains unresolved, China's "relaxation" has triggered a rush to purchase.
In addition to Aumovio, Japan's second-largest automaker Honda also stated that there has been progress in its supply. Honda's Executive Vice President told Reuters that the company has received information about the start of shipments from China.
He added that it is currently difficult to make a clear judgment about the future situation, but the company is working to get affected factories back to production starting from late next week. Honda had previously suspended production at one of its Mexican plants and adjusted operations in the United States and Canada.
According to sources, Bosch Group from Germany has also begun to obtain Anshide chips from China. The company's spokesperson declined to comment on this.
Global automotive parts giant ZF (AF) earlier stated that it is maintaining communication with Chinese authorities through its Chinese subsidiary. However, its spokesperson told American media that as a precaution, the company is still preparing for potential production interruptions.
"It is unclear how much and how quickly the supply from China will recover," the spokesperson said. "The situation in the entire industry is still very tense."
The Anshide Semiconductor incident has further exacerbated the global supply chain crisis, with German automakers being severely affected. Visual China
Thanks to the Netherlands' "luck", Germany is one of the main victims of this "supply disruption" crisis. According to Reuters, regarding the news of the recovery of supplies, Luisa-Maria Spoo, a spokesperson for the German Economic Affairs Ministry, said at a government press conference in Berlin, "We very much welcome the Netherlands' approach of easing tensions with China and continuing negotiations. We are maintaining contact with the Netherlands and affected companies."
The spokesperson added that as Europe's largest automobile producer, Germany still expects "short-term individual approvals to be quickly issued at the industry level", promoting the full recovery of Anshide Semiconductor's chip shipments.
Olof Gill of the European Commission also said that discussions on the Anshide Semiconductor issue will continue at the "senior official level" on Friday. He revealed that the EU Trade Commissioner Schefcovic will communicate with the corresponding officials of China and the Netherlands.
He said at a press conference in Brussels, "We will continue this constructive tripartite dialogue with China and the Netherlands, and strive to further ease the situation."
American media noticed that the Dutch government, which had "gone wrong" on the Anshide Semiconductor issue, recently softened its tone. On Thursday local time, the Dutch Minister of Economic Affairs, Karelmans, changed his stance, saying that the Netherlands "welcomes the news that China allows the Anshide China factory to resume shipments."
Karelmans said in a statement that the Netherlands has received notifications from both China and the United States, and the economic and trade agreement reached last week between the two countries will allow the Anshide Semiconductor China factory to resume shipments. He said that this is consistent with the information provided by China to the European Commission. He believes that the company's chips will reach customers in Europe, the United States, and around the world in the coming days.
Bloomberg then reported that the Dutch government is preparing to suspend the previous ministerial order granting it the right to block or change significant corporate decisions of Anshide, and "as early as next week" give up control over the company, but only if China agrees to resume the export of key chips. Using the so-called "control rights" seized by force as a bargaining chip in negotiations with China, the Dutch government's thieving face is fully exposed.
Earlier, Anshide (Netherlands), which had been actively spreading rumors about Chinese factories, also lowered its tone. Its spokesperson said that the company could not confirm that the chip supply had resumed, but "based on China's statement that it will issue exemption licenses, it is expected that shipments will soon be restored."
Regarding the rapid development of recent events, Zhao Zhijiang, an assistant researcher at Beijing's Anbang Consulting, explained to Hong Kong's South China Morning Post that the statements from all parties reflect that the situation's "complexity far exceeds the expectations of Anshide (Netherlands) and the Dutch government." He believes that the Dutch government softening its position "is likely to want to resolve the matter as soon as possible."
Zhao Zhijiang pointed out that the Dutch side may be concerned that if the dispute remains unresolved for a long time, "it may have a negative impact on the overall bilateral relations between China and the Netherlands, and even affect the current China-EU trade negotiations. The stakes are too high."
On the afternoon of November 6th, He Yadan, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Commerce, reiterated that the Dutch side's inappropriate intervention in Anshide Semiconductor's internal affairs has caused turbulence and chaos in the global semiconductor supply chain. The Dutch government did not show a constructive attitude and action despite multiple reasonable requests from China during the consultations, and escalated the global supply chain crisis.
For this, the Dutch side should bear all the responsibility. China, with a responsible attitude towards the stability and security of the global semiconductor supply chain, has promptly approved the relevant export license applications from Chinese exporters and exempted exports that meet the conditions, striving to promote the resumption of shipments from Anshide Semiconductor (China).
China hopes that the Dutch side will take a responsible attitude and act in the interest of the overall situation of Sino-Dutch and Sino-EU economic and trade relations, and the stability and security of the global supply chain, stop interfering in corporate internal affairs, and find a constructive solution to the Anshide Semiconductor issue.
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