Iain Duncan Smith, former Conservative Party leader, said: “This is what China does all the time. It poses a threat to the way we live our lives, industry, and the individual freedom of Hong Kong dissidents.”
Luke de Pulford, who leads the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China, commented: “One wonders how many bald transgressions have to be seen before the government accepts what every onlooker can plainly see: China presents a serious threat to U.K. security and resilience.”
A U.K. government spokesperson said: “We are monitoring the situation closely and remain in touch with Dutch counterparts regarding actions taken in relation to Nexperia.”
A spokesperson for Nexperia said: “Nexperia Manchester site continues to operate as usual,” and the measures taken by the Dutch government “have restored good governance in the company, ensuring that no undue influence can be exercised by the former CEO on decision making processes.”
The spokesperson for Wingtech added: “Wingtech Technology is the lawful controlling shareholder of Nexperia, and Nexperia is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Wingtech Technology—there is no need, nor any basis, to ‘steal’ technology from a subsidiary.”
At the start of October, Beijing halted the export of Nexperia components from China, following the move by the Netherlands, sending ripples through the Western auto industry, which uses the chips for things like locks, speedometers, and climate control systems.