Britain does not want a Chinese shareholder in the semiconductor industry on its soil. Chinese takeover of Britain’s biggest microprocessor factory must be reversed, UK government says Bring it back BBC.
Chipmaker Newport Wafer Fab had passed in July 2021 under the control of the Dutch company Nexperia, itself a subsidiary of the Chinese mobile giant Wingtech, “listed in Shanghai”, reminiscent of the British public media.
86% share
London “have ordered” at Nexperia “to sell its shares in the UK’s largest semiconductor manufacturer”, or 86% of Newport Wafer Fab, claims “potential national security risks”, Explain Time.
Grant Shapps, the UK’s new Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, said “concerned that the company will start working on more advanced chips” and not “undermining British capabilities”, Note CNN. The facility’s location in a high-tech business park in Newport, a city in South Wales, could hold it back “future projects related to national security” in the area according to the government.
This decision, convicted “shocking” by Nexperia, reflects “West’s growing concern over China’s ties to sensitive technology and infrastructure,” emphasizes the American media. Last week, Germany blocked the sale of a semiconductor factory to China in the name of national security. “In August, the US ordered two of its major electronics manufacturers, NVidia and AMD, to stop exporting certain advanced chips to China,” reminds CNN.