英国《卫报》加入Nexperia row

长篇Nexperia row shows how China is weaponising EU relationship - and winning - Experts say Brussels must stand up against Beijing using supplies of vital chips and minerals as ‘sword of Damocles’ - As interventions go it was pretty audacious. The Dutch government decision at the end of September to take over Nexperia, a Chinese-owned chip factory, almost brought the entire European car industry to a halt. Tensions between Europe and China de-escalated over the weekend as Beijing confirmed it would ease restrictions on automotive chip supplies to the EU, prompting sighs of relief in car factories around the world. But it has only intensified the questions about the EU’s asymmetric relationship with China, with many in industry, diplomacy and governments asking if Europe is no longer collateral damage in the wider Sino-American political war but a target in itself. “We can buy a bit of time, but there is a sense that we are entering into a situation where we are going to be dealing with rolling crises from now on and that things have really crossed a threshold with China,” said Andrew Small, a senior fellow at the German Marshall Fund thinktank and former China adviser within the European Commission. Crucially China agreed to resume the supply of Nexperia chips, but only for a 12-month period, and only for civilian use, leaving the way open for future action should Beijing wish to interfere in the EU’s revived defence industry or turn the tap off again for the car industry. “China is repeatedly now taking steps that does not actually stop industries from functioning but just chokes supplies. If this kind of stranglehold persists, it just puts Europe under a constant sword of Damocles,” Small added.

 

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The EU has no operational rare-earth mines. The US Treasury secretary, Scott Bessent, said after the Korea meeting between Trump and Xi Jinping that it was “two years” away from its own supplies with companies such as General Motors already teaming up with mines. Nigel Stewart, the director of the Centre for Sectoral Economic Performance at Imperial College London, said China controlled 96% of the world’s magnet supply and it could take 10 years for Europe to do what Xi has done – buy up or control the entire supply chain from mine to assembly line.

 

见链接 https://www.theguardian.com/business/2025/nov/11/nexperia-row-china-trade-brussels-beijing-chips