The case centres on whether the Amsterdam Enterprise Court will order a full investigation into Nexperia’s governance under its former chief executive, Wingtech founder Zhang Xuezheng, and whether Wingtech’s control over the company should be reinstated. A court-appointed administrator currently holds Wingtech’s voting rights.
Nexperia’s operations have been severely affected by the dispute, with cooperation breaking down between its European manufacturing arm and its Chinese packaging and distribution unit. The resulting disruption has rippled through supply chains, affecting carmakers already struggling with constrained chip supplies.
Lawyers for Nexperia accused Wingtech of deliberately destabilising the company. “Wingtech is doing everything it can to destabilize Nexperia in this already challenging situation,” lawyer Jeroen van der Schrieck told the court. He said Wingtech had invited the Chinese government to impose export restrictions on Nexperia in October, harming both the company and its customers.
Wingtech rejected those claims. Its lawyer, Dirk-Jan Duynstee, said Zhang had been exploring alternatives to avoid Nexperia being placed on a U.S. blacklist and was open to governance changes if necessary. Duynstee argued that Nexperia “cannot function without its non-Dutch parent and subsidiary entities,” describing it as a largely international group reliant on China for critical parts of its operations.
The dispute erupted on September 30, when the Dutch government temporarily seized control of Nexperia, citing concerns that operations and intellectual property were being transferred to China. That intervention was later revoked. On October 7, however, the court ruled there were “well-founded reasons to doubt” that Nexperia was being properly managed, suspended Zhang as CEO and transferred control of Wingtech’s shares to a Dutch lawyer.
Wingtech’s legal team said no evidence had been presented to show misappropriation of Nexperia’s intellectual property or plans to move it to China, questioning whether the government’s intervention had been justified. Duynstee also denied that Zhang had a conflict of interest arising from his ownership of a Shanghai factory supplying wafers to Nexperia, one of the factors cited by the court in ordering preliminary measures.
Zhang did not attend the hearing but, through his lawyer, pointed to his entrepreneurial track record and said he felt betrayed by actions taken by the Dutch state and judiciary.
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| Jeroen van der Schrieck, member of the legal team representing chipmaker Nexperia, sits to attend a hearing where lawyers for the European management team of chipmaker Nexperia and its Chinese owner Wingtech face off in an Amsterdam court as judges hear arguments on whether to order a formal investigation into allegations by European executives at Nexperia of mismanagement at the firm, in Amsterdam, Netherlands, January 14, 2026. REUTERS/Piroschka van de Wouw |
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| Dirk-Jan Duynstee, member of the legal team representing Wingtech, prepares with others to attend a hearing where lawyers for the European management team of chipmaker Nexperia and its Chinese owner Wingtech face off in an Amsterdam court as judges hear arguments on whether to order a formal investigation into allegations by European executives at Nexperia of mismanagement at the firm, in Amsterdam, Netherlands, January 14, 2026. REUTERS/Piroschka van de Wouw |
A lawyer representing the Dutch government said it supported Nexperia’s current management. The case comes after governments in the United States, the Netherlands and China all imposed — and later withdrew — measures affecting Nexperia in 2025, citing strategic concerns but exacerbating disruptions for carmakers.
Nexperia reported a profit of $331 million on sales of $2.06 billion in 2024. However, the company now risks being split in two as customers seek alternative chip suppliers. It stopped shipping wafers to China in October, citing non-payment, and plans to invest $260 million to expand packaging capacity in Malaysia to serve non-Chinese customers.
Meanwhile, its packaging subsidiary in Dongguan has rebranded as “Nexperia China” and is seeking to replace European production with Chinese alternatives.
The court-appointed lawyer currently holding Nexperia’s shares urged judges to rule swiftly, saying he believed both sides may be delaying negotiations until their legal positions become clearer following a discussion on December 18.