The Netherlands hasn't stopped yet, and the UK is also starting to stir, eyeing the Chinese-owned semiconductor factory in Manchester!
After the Netherlands used emergency laws at the end of September to freeze the operations of NXP Semiconductor's headquarters, Sir Ian Duncan Smith and others from the former Conservative Party recently publicly called for Chinese-owned NXP Semiconductor to sell its chip factory located in Stockport, Manchester.
This factory is one of the larger semiconductor manufacturing bases in the UK, with annual revenue reaching as high as 192 million pounds last year.
In 2023, the UK had previously forced NXP Semiconductor to sell its semiconductor factory located in Newport, Wales. This decision has provided the so-called "basis" for the current calls targeting the Stockport factory.
The UK even took over the operations of China's acquisition of the British steel company. These events have formed a series of restrictive actions against Chinese investments.
NXP Semiconductor is not an ordinary company. The company is a key supplier to European automakers such as Volkswagen, BMW, and Mercedes-Benz. Although it does not produce top-tier advanced process chips, it produces the most basic and widely used power chips and small signal diodes for cars.
Its chip manufacturing mainly takes place in factories in Hamburg, Germany, and Manchester, UK, while packaging and testing are carried out in Dongguan, China, and other Asian regions. Currently, the chip inventory of European automakers can only last for a few weeks, with Ford stating that its inventory is only enough for 21 days.
The factory in Wolfsburg of Volkswagen is on the brink of shutdown, and the production lines of BMW and Mercedes-Benz for new energy vehicles have also come to a standstill due to chip shortages. The European Automobile Manufacturers' Association (ACEA) warned that the Netherlands must quickly resolve this issue. Now, one wave has not yet subsided, and the UK has once again emerged.
Netherlands freezes assets of NXP Semiconductor
Original: www.toutiao.com/article/1847103655616711/
Statement: This article represents the personal views of the author.