When a Chinese company bought the Dutch chipmaker Nexperia in 2019, its head quickly began plotting to move research and technology to China, according to the chipmaker’s former chief executive.

据荷兰芯片制造商安世半导体前首席执行官透露，2019年中国企业收购该公司后，其负责人就迅速开始筹划将研发和技术转移到中国。

The effort came as China was trying to build up its capacity in crucial semiconductor chips — and went largely unchecked.

当时中国正全力提升关键半导体芯片的生产能力，而这一技术转移行为基本未受到制约。

Now, those early moves are at the heart of a geopolitical showdown, with the Netherlands caught in a struggle between Washington and Beijing over who controls critical technology. And Nexperia, which makes basic chips essential for cars and appliances, has become a vivid example of how Chinese acquisitions of foreign tech companies can become national security problems, even years later.

如今，这些早期举动已成为地缘政治对峙的核心，在华盛顿与北京争夺关键技术控制权的角力中，荷兰陷入两难境地。安世半导体生产的基础芯片对汽车和家电行业至关重要，该公司的案例生动展现了中国企业收购外国科技公司可能引发国家安全问题，哪怕是在数年之后。

Dutch officials took the extraordinary step of seizing Nexperia in September, setting off a chain of events that jolted the global auto industry. They cited concerns that the Chinese owner of Nexperia — Wingtech, a tech company that is partially backed by Chinese government funds — would move key technology out of Europe.

今年9月，荷兰官员采取非同寻常的举措，接管了安世半导体的控制权，这一系列事件震动了全球汽车产业。荷兰方面称，担忧该公司的中国所有者——部分获得中国政府资金支持的闻泰科技——会将核心技术转移出欧洲。

In fact, it was clear as early as 2019, from the moment that he took control of Nexperia, that Zhang Xuezheng, Wingtech’s controlling shareholder, sought to transfer research and intellectual property to China, Nexperia’s former chief executive, Frans Scheper, told The New York Times last week.

安世半导体前首席执行官弗朗斯·斯赫珀上周向《纽约时报》透露，事实上，早在2019年掌控安世半导体之初，闻泰科技控股股东张学政就已明确显露将研发成果和知识产权转移到中国的意图。

Mr. Scheper’s account, which has not been previously reported, offers a rare look at what officials understood about the risks posed by the acquisition to the Dutch economy and the global supply chain, and when they understood them.

斯赫珀的陈述此前未曾公开，它们为了解官员们何时意识到这笔收购对荷兰经济和全球供应链构成的风险提供了珍贵视角。

The company employs thousands of people across Europe, the United States and Asia, and its products are foundational to industries far beyond automotive manufacturing. Mr. Scheper said he had alerted Dutch officials to Mr. Zhang’s plans early on.

安世半导体在欧洲、美国和亚洲有数以千计的员工，其产品不仅支撑着汽车制造业，也是众多行业的基础。斯赫珀表示，他很早就提醒荷兰官员注意张学政的计划。

“I told them how critical the knowledge in Nijmegen, Hamburg and Manchester is,” said Mr. Scheper, referring to the Dutch, German and British cities where Nexperia has operations.

“我告诉他们，奈梅亨、汉堡和曼彻斯特三地的技术知识有多关键，”斯赫珀说，他指的是安世半导体在荷兰、德国和英国设有运营机构的三座城市。

Mr. Scheper said Mr. Zhang also pressured him into early retirement in 2020. Mr. Zhang took over as Nexperia’s chief executive, underscoring his push for control. Dutch officials knew as early as 2020 that Mr. Zhang had a criminal record for stealing trade secrets in China, Mr. Scheper said.

斯赫珀还透露，2020年，张学政逼迫他提前退休，随后亲自出任安世半导体首席执行官，凸显出其掌控公司的决心。他表示，荷兰官员早在2020年就已知晓张学政曾因在中国窃取商业机密有犯罪记录。

The Netherlands only adopted a formal review process for foreign takeovers in 2023, but the Nexperia acquisition was reviewed by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, a committee led by the Treasury secretary. Dutch officials also evaluated the deal at the time, Mr. Scheper said.

荷兰直到2023年才正式出台外国收购审查程序，但斯赫珀称，安世半导体的收购案当时已接受美国外国投资委员会（由美国财政部长领导）的审查，荷兰官员也对该交易进行了评估。

The basic chips made by Nexperia were not then seen as a security issue. The Dutch government became concerned about Mr. Zhang, 50, only recently, after Washington adopted a tougher line on Chinese technology, putting new pressure on European companies.

当时，安世半导体生产的基础芯片并未被视为安全问题。直到近期，华盛顿对中国技术采取更强硬立场、向欧洲企业施加新的压力后，荷兰政府才开始对50岁的张学政产生担忧。

Earlier this year, U.S. officials signaled that they would adopt controls making it difficult to do business with majority-owned subsidiaries of companies that are on Washington’s “entity list.” Being on this list limits a company’s ability to purchase American software and equipment.

今年早些时候，美国官员暗示将出台管制措施，使企业难以与华盛顿“实体清单”上公司的控股子公司开展业务。被列入该清单的企业购买美国软件和设备的能力将受到限制。

That mattered to the Netherlands because Wingtech, Nexperia’s parent company, was listed, accused of helping Beijing acquire and move critical chip-making technology away from U.S. allies and into China. The new controls raised the risk that Nexperia itself could soon face similar limits.

这对荷兰来说至关重要，因为安世半导体的母公司闻泰科技已被列入该清单，被美方指控协助北京从美国盟友处获取关键芯片制造技术并转移至中国。新的管制措施意味着，安世半导体本身可能很快面临类似限制。

安世半导体公司位于荷兰奈梅亨市的总部。在荷兰官员接管该公司后不久，法院便罢免了张学政的首席执行官职务。

To protect a critical domestic industry, Dutch officials sought to exempt Nexperia from those controls by setting up a more independent structure, Dutch court documents say. Mr. Zhang initially cooperated with those efforts but later changed course, according to the documents.

荷兰法院文件显示，为保护本土关键产业，荷兰官员曾试图通过建立更独立的公司架构使安世半导体豁免这些管制。文件称，张学政最初配合了这些努力，但后来改变了立场。

His leadership of the company came up in June at a meeting of Dutch officials and representatives of the U.S. Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security. According to minutes quoted in the court documents, the Americans thought “the fact that the company’s C.E.O. is still the same Chinese owner is problematic.”

今年6月，荷兰官员与美国商务部工业与安全局代表会面时，张学政在安世半导体的领导地位被提及。法院文件援引的会议纪要显示，美方认为“该公司首席执行官仍由这位中国所有者担任，这一情况存在问题”。

In October, after Dutch officials seized Nexperia, a Dutch court removed Mr. Zhang as chief executive.

10月，在荷兰官员掌握安世半导体控制权后，荷兰一家法院罢免了张学政的首席执行官职务。

For a period after the Dutch seizure, China froze exports of Nexperia chips, which are finished in China. That forced European carmakers to slow or suspend production lines.

荷兰夺取公司控制权后，中国曾一度暂停了在华完成封装测试的安世半导体芯片出口，这迫使欧洲汽车制造商放缓或暂停了生产线。

A spokesman for the Dutch ministry of economic affairs, Milan Captein, did not directly comment on Mr. Scheper’s depiction of events. Mr. Captein said in a statement that the ministry became aware in September of “advanced plans to close or significantly scale down the European production and research sites” at Nexperia.

荷兰经济事务部发言人米兰·卡普泰因未直接置评斯赫珀对事件的描述。他在一份声明中表示，该部于9月得知安世半导体“计划关闭或大幅缩减欧洲生产和研发基地”的相关事态。

European countries have been slower than the United States to adopt controls of Chinese technology. The Dutch semiconductor industry wants to maintain access to the Chinese market. But it has been squeezed by Washington’s increasingly tough approach toward China.

欧洲国家在对华技术管制方面比美国行动迟缓。荷兰半导体行业希望保持中国市场准入，但同时又受到华盛顿对华强硬政策的挤压。

Chip controls are one of “the very core elements of the U.S.’s China strategy,” said Frans-Paul van der Putten, an expert on China at the Clingendael Institute, a research group partly funded by the Dutch government. “But they are very harmful for the Netherlands. It creates a lot of tension between two allies.”

“芯片管制是美国对华战略的核心要素之一，”受荷兰政府部分资助的克林根戴尔研究所中国问题专家弗朗斯-保罗·范德普滕表示。“但这对荷兰伤害极大，在两个盟友之间制造了诸多紧张。”

An Earlier Conviction in Trade Secrets

早年的商业机密盗窃案

As a young entrepreneur two decades ago, Mr. Zhang spent more than a year in a Chinese detention center for stealing trade secrets. It was an early sign of his willingness to play loose with intellectual property.

20年前，作为年轻企业家的张学政曾因窃取商业机密在中国看守所被关押一年多。这一早期事件就已显现出他对知识产权问题的漠视态度。

In 2005, he and his associates were found guilty of taking software code from his former employer, the Chinese tech giant ZTE, and earning over 1.1 billion renminbi (about $160 million) by developing cellphones using the stolen code.

2005年，他和同伙被认定从其前雇主中国科技巨头中兴通讯窃取软件代码，并利用被盗代码研发手机，获利超过11亿元人民币。

The theft led ZTE to shut down a product line, according to Chinese court documents, the details of which have not been previously reported.

中国法院文件显示，这起盗窃案导致中兴通讯关闭了一条产品线，相关细节此前未曾公开。

Mr. Zhang was again accused of corporate violations last year, when China’s securities regulator fined Mr. Zhang, another company he controls and a former Wingtech shareholder 18 million renminbi (about $2.5 million) for hiding share purchases from the authorities.

去年，张学政再次被指控存在公司违规行为。中国证券监管机构对张学政、其控制的另一家公司以及闻泰科技前股东处以1800万元人民币罚款，原因是他们向监管机构隐瞒了股票收购事宜。

Mr. Zhang did not respond to a request for an interview. Wingtech declined to comment. Its Dutch entity did not respond to a request for comment.

张学政未回应采访请求，闻泰科技拒绝置评，其荷兰分支机构也未回应置评请求。

中国东莞的安世半导体工厂。该公司的荷兰与中国实体仍处于异常对峙状态。

Mr. Zhang also took a risk by acquiring Nexperia, exposing Wingtech to significant debt. The Dutch outfit was more valuable than the Chinese parent, and Chinese experts likened the deal to a snake swallowing an elephant.

张学政收购安世半导体的举动本身也充满风险，使闻泰科技背负了巨额债务。这家荷兰企业的价值超过其中国母公司，中国专家将这笔交易比作蛇吞象。

But Mr. Zhang was persistent. Ming-Jer Chen, a business professor who taught him in an executive M.B.A. program, said that the Chinese entrepreneur had a scroll hanging in his office that read, “Heaven rewards the diligent.”

但张学政很顽强。曾在高管工商管理硕士项目中教过他的商科教授陈明哲说，这位中国企业家的办公室里挂着一幅字：“天道酬勤。”

For example, while preparing for the Nexperia takeover, Mr. Chen said, Mr. Zhang joined him on a trip to Hong Kong to meet the founder of WH Group, another Chinese company that had engaged in a large takeover — that of the American pork producer Smithfield Foods in 2013.

陈明哲举例说，在筹备收购安世半导体期间，张学政曾与他一同前往香港，会见万洲国际的创始人——这家中国企业曾在2013年完成对美国猪肉生产商史密斯菲尔德食品公司的大型收购。

To ease concerns in the Netherlands about losing a key Dutch technology, Mr. Zhang promised Nexperia executives that the company could maintain its independence. But Mr. Scheper said it was clear early on that Mr. Zhang had other plans.

为缓解荷兰方面对关键技术流失的担忧，张学政曾向安世半导体高管承诺，公司将保持独立性。但斯赫珀表示，很早就可以看出张学政另有打算。

“He’s a figure that really wants to be involved day to day, and that annoyed people,” said Rob de Wijk, founder of The Hague Centre for Strategic Studies in the Netherlands.

“他是一个希望参与日常运营的人，这让很多人感到不满，”荷兰海牙战略研究中心创始人罗布·德维克说。

A Corporate and Diplomatic Standoff

企业与外交对峙

Washington, Beijing, and The Hague have all taken steps to reduce tensions, including revoking the seizure order. But the Dutch court ruling that removed Mr. Zhang as chief executive of Nexperia remains in effect. Wingtech has said it will appeal the decision.

华盛顿、北京和海牙均已采取措施缓和紧张局势，包括撤销扣押令。但荷兰法院罢免张学政安世半导体首席执行官职务的裁决仍然有效，闻泰科技表示将对此提起上诉。

And Nexperia’s Dutch and Chinese entities are in a remarkable standoff, with the Dutch entity accusing the Chinese one of misappropriating the company seal and “establishing unauthorized bank accounts.” Nexperia’s Chinese arm countered on Chinese social media on Nov. 28 that the Dutch one “disregards the facts” and had tried to cut China out of its supply chain.

安世半导体的荷兰分支与中国分支陷入了异常的对峙状态：荷兰指控中国分支挪用公司印章、“擅自开立银行账户”；中国分支则于11月28日在中国社交媒体上回应称，荷兰分支“枉顾事实”，试图将中国排除在其供应链之外。

On Dec. 2, the Dutch economic affairs minister abruptly pulled out of a trade mission to China. Beijing has asserted that the Netherlands is responsible for supply disruptions resulting from the Nexperia dispute. China’s commerce minister said in a meeting on Monday with a German official that the Dutch government should stop interfering inappropriately with business decisions, according to a summary of the meeting posted on the ministry’s website.

12月2日，荷兰经济事务大臣突然退出了原定前往中国的贸易代表团。中国称，安世半导体争端引发的供应链中断责任在荷兰。中国商务部官网发布的会议纪要显示，商务部部长周一在与德国官员会面时表示，荷兰政府应停止不当干预企业决策。

Mr. Zhang, for his part, has kept a low profile. In October, according to the Dutch newspaper NRC, Mr. Zhang claimed on WeChat to be a victim of discrimination.

张学政本人则保持低调。据荷兰报纸《新鹿特丹商业报》报道，他10月在微信上声称自己是歧视行为的受害者。