A logo of Nexperia Photo: VCG

Chinese experts criticized the Dutch side for refusing to admit mistakes and shifting blame onto China, after Dutch Economy Minister Vincent Karremans admitted he was "blindsided" by China's countermeasures to the Dutch move in the Nexperia dispute, according to media reports.

The Dutch minister made the comment during a debate on the Nexperia issue in the Dutch House of Representatives on Thursday evening, local time. "An assessment was made of possible counterreactions; this wasn't the most likely reaction from China," Karremans said, the South China Morning Post reported on Saturday. 

The Dutch government decided in September to seize control of Nexperia from its Chinese parent company, Wingtech Technology, over so-called economic security concerns and suspend its CEO Zhang Xuezheng.

On October 4, Nexperia's Dutch unit claimed on its website that China prohibited Nexperia China and its subcontractors from exporting specific finished components and sub-assemblies manufactured in China.

The incident initiated by the Dutch government triggered chip shortages for European and global automakers.

During the hearing, lawmakers sharply described Karremans's decision to block Nexperia's Chinese owners from shifting production capacity from Europe to China as "reckless," "sloppy," and "amateurish."

Karremans was questioned at the hearing why he did not predict China's response.

Karremans defended his move, claiming it was "a well-considered and substantiated decision, in which we took all the risks and all the information into account and carefully weighed them against each other".

Yet many parliamentarians demanded to know why he had acted unilaterally—without consulting parliament, the European Union, or the automotive industry. Laurens Dassen of Volt Netherlands delivered a stinging metaphor, comparing Karremans's approach to "a driver accelerating but forgetting to update the navigation system."

Jian Junbo, director of the Center for China-Europe Relations at Fudan University's Institute of International Studies, noted that the hearing shows that the Dutch side has yet to fully realize the gravity of the situation and has continued to justify its own actions. Such attempts to evade responsibility have placed the Netherlands in an awkward position, he said. 

The Dutch side's actions, which disrupted the supply chain, have drawn strong reactions from upstream and downstream companies, particularly from Germany's automotive industry, said Cui Hongjian, a professor at the Academy of Regional and Global Governance at Beijing Foreign Studies University, adding that, facing mounting pressure, the Netherlands is currently seeking a way out.

Cui noted that the Dutch side failed to fully consider the potential consequences when formulating its policies, and that actual developments have diverged from expectations, leaving the Netherlands in an awkward position. "China's position is clear: it is up to the one who tied the bell to untie it. The Netherlands must first assume responsibility and face the corresponding consequences before the issue can be properly resolved," Cui said.

The debate had been requested by the Dutch parliament and was deliberately scheduled ahead of Karremans's planned trip to China. Yet, on December 2, in a letter to parliament, Karremans announced he was canceling the December visit, citing "scheduling differences," according to Reuters.

When lawmakers pressed him further during the hearing, he maintained that he had "personally decided to postpone the trip." Several parliamentarians openly doubted him, asking whether the visit had actually been scrapped because Chinese authorities refused to meet him.

Jian stressed that the Dutch side should not expect China to offer it a way out in order to resolve the issue. "China's stance is clear: the Nexperia situation should be restored to its state before the Netherlands' measures were taken. The solution currently proposed by the Dutch side fails to meet China's requirements, making any visit by the Dutch minister to China meaningless at this stage."

On September 30, the Dutch government invoked the Goods Availability Act, citing so-called "national security," to take over Nexperia, a wholly owned subsidiary of China's Wingtech Technology, though the move was not made public until October 12.

China's Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) stated on November 4 that Nexperia Netherlands' October 26 announcement that it would halt wafer supplies to Nexperia China disrupted the latter's production, causing turmoil and instability in the global semiconductor supply chain. The Dutch side should bear full responsibility for this.

Acting responsibly to safeguard the stability and security of the global semiconductor supply chain, China announced on November 1 that it would grant exemptions for eligible exports and actively work to help Nexperia China resume deliveries, the ministry said.

On November 27, Nexperia's Dutch unit claimed in an open letter that it had repeatedly tried to resume talks with the Chinese subsidiary but had received no response. Nexperia China on the same day strongly denied the allegation, accusing the Dutch unit of misleading the public. 

Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao held a meeting via video link on November 26 with the European Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security Maros Sefcovic for in-depth exchanges on issues including the Nexperia case and other trade and investment matters, according to a statement published on the website of the Ministry of Commerce.

Wang stressed that regarding the Nexperia case, the root cause and responsibility for the current disruption in the global semiconductor supply and industrial chains lie with the Dutch side. He noted that the Chinese government has consistently acted responsibly, taking timely and concrete measures to help maintain and restore stability in the global semiconductor supply chain, according to the statement.