Dutch minister defends Nexperia takeover amid chip supply strains

The Dutch minister who triggered automotive supply chain turmoil by seizing control of chipmaker Nexperia said the intervention had worked and he made a conscious choice not to inform European allies or the U.S. or Chinese governments ahead of time.

Economic Affairs Minister Vincent Karremans faced questions over his handling of Nexperia in a parliamentary debate late on Thursday, with lawmakers questioning his handling of the situation.

“With this order, I prevented Europe from becoming dependent on non-European vendors of essential legacy chips… as…