Automakers around the world and their suppliers have begun scaling back production after a dispute over a Chinese-owned chipmaker in the Netherlands led to a shortage of the semiconductors needed to power the systems in vehicles.

荷兰一家中资芯片制造商引发的争端导致为汽车系统供电所需的半导体短缺，全球汽车制造商及其供应商因而开始减产。

Representatives from China and the European Union met on Tuesday in an effort to resolve the standoff, more than a month after the Dutch government seized control of the chipmaker, Nexperia. Beijing has halted deliveries of chips from its factories and criticized officials in the Netherlands for failing to work to find a resolution.

中国和欧盟的代表周二举行会晤，试图解决这一僵局。一个多月前，荷兰政府接管了这家名为安世的芯片制造商。北京方面叫停了中国工厂发货，并批评荷兰官员未能努力找到解决方案。

Efforts from Washington to try to resolve the dispute have failed, leaving more companies concerned they may be forced to halt production if a solution is not found soon.

华盛顿为解决争端所做的努力均以失败告终，更多公司担心，如果不能尽快找到解决方案，它们可能被迫停产。

Europe’s car industry has been the most vocal, but Nexperia makes thousands of chips used by other industries to make products like washing machines, vacuum cleaners, night vision devices, radars and tanks.

欧洲汽车行业对此反应最为强烈，但安世生产的数以千计种芯片还广泛应用于洗衣机、吸尘器、夜视设备、雷达及坦克等其他行业产品。

“I think there are very justified concerns about global manufacturing output being impacted if this can’t be resolved in the next few weeks,” said Chris Miller, author of the book “Chip War,” who reports widely on the semiconductor industry.

半导体行业资深报道者、《芯片战争》(Chip War)一书作者克里斯·米勒表示：“我认为，如果在未来几周内不能解决这个问题，对全球制造业产出受到影响的担忧是非常合理的。”

How did the chip dispute start?

这场芯片争端是如何开始的？

Nexperia, which has headquarters in the Netherlands, was bought by a Chinese company, Wingtech, in December 2019 and has since shipped basic, but necessary, chips to manufacturers around the world.

安世的总部位于荷兰，2019年12月被中国公司闻泰科技收购，此后一直向全球制造商供应基础但不可或缺的芯片。

In late September, the Dutch government took control of the company over what it said were concerns that more production could be moved to China from Europe. Documents from a court in Amsterdam showed that U.S. officials had pressured the Dutch government about the company’s ownership.

9月下旬，荷兰政府以担心更多生产可能从欧洲转移到中国为由接管该公司。阿姆斯特丹一家法院的文件显示，美国官员曾就该公司的所有权问题向荷兰政府施压。

Beijing responded by stopping export of the chips that are packaged at Nexperia’s factories there, sending automakers around the globe scrambling to secure supplies and warning about disruptions.

北京方面的回应是叫停了安世在华工厂封装芯片的出口，这使得全球汽车制造商纷纷争分夺秒地确保供应，并对供应链中断发出警告。

The White House announced on Saturday that as part of the trade deal between President Trump and the Chinese leader, Xi Jinping, shipments from Nexperia’s production sites in China would begin again. That has yet to happen.

白宫上周六宣布，作为特朗普总统和中国领导人习近平之间贸易协议的一部分，安世在中国的生产基地将恢复发货。但这尚未实现。

Some industry insiders have drawn parallels of the current situation to the shortages after economies around the world shut down during the coronavirus pandemic, while others have pointed to a significant difference.

一些业内人士将当前的情况与新冠疫情期间全球经济停摆后的芯片短缺相提并论，也有人指出了一个显著的不同之处。

“This is a politically induced situation,” Ola Källenius, chief executive of Mercedes-Benz, said on a call with analysts last week.

梅赛德斯-奔驰首席执行官康松林(Ola Källenius)上周在与分析师的电话会议上表示：“这是一个由政治因素引发的情况。”

去年在德国汉堡安世半导体生产线上的一块晶圆。

Why can’t the chips just be replaced?

为什么这些芯片不能被替代？

Semiconductors require a two-step production process. In Nexperia’s case, the front-end production takes place in Hamburg, Germany, while the back-end production, where the chips are completed and packaged, is done mostly in China.

半导体的生产过程需要两个步骤。以安世为例，其前端生产在德国汉堡进行，而芯片完成和封装的后端生产主要在中国进行。

To produce the chips in China, Wingtech would have to find wafers that were made locally, while Nexperia would need more options to finish the production outside China. The company already has some back-end production in Malaysia and the Philippines, but it is not enough to compensate for the loss of its Chinese sites.

要在中国生产芯片，闻泰科技必须找到本地生产的晶圆，而安世要想在中国以外的地方完成生产，也需要更多选项。该公司在马来西亚和菲律宾已经有一些后端生产，但这不足以弥补其中国工厂造成的损失。

Nexperia has the financial stability to make this happen, but it would take at least four to six months, said Antonia Hmaidi, a senior analyst at the Mercator Institute for China Studies in Berlin. On top of that, the chips have to be tested and receive certification before they can be used in cars.

柏林墨卡托中国研究学院的高级分析师安东尼娅·赫迈迪表示，安世有足够的财务稳定性来实现这一目标，但至少需要四到六个月的时间。除此之外，这些芯片在用于汽车之前必须经过检测和认证。

In recent years, analysts have warned that companies moving production to China should have a backup plan, even if it means higher operating costs to strengthen and diversify supply chains in case of an emergency.

近年来，分析师们一直警告称，将生产转移到中国的公司应该有一个备用计划，以防紧急情况，即便这意味着需承担更高运营成本来强化供应链韧性与多元化布局。

“This should be the latest wake-up call that anyone needs in terms of how far China is willing to go to protect its own companies,” Ms. Hmaidi said.

赫迈迪说：“这应该是最新的警钟，让所有人都知道中国愿意采取多么强烈的措施来保护自己的公司。”

Which carmakers are affected?

哪些汽车制造商受到了影响？

The necessity of Nexperia’s chips is reflected in the span of automakers announcing plans to curtail production. Mercedes, Stellantis and Nissan have set up task forces to help them figure out how to maintain production, while securing chips from other sources.

安世芯片的重要性体现在宣布减产计划的汽车制造商范围之广。梅赛德斯、斯特兰蒂斯和日产都成立了特别工作组，在寻求其他芯片来源的同时协助制定维持生产计划。

Bosch, Europe’s largest auto parts supplier, said the situation with Nexperia had presented “major challenges” that demanded flexibility. The company said that up to 1,000 of its employees at two factories in Germany might have to scale back to part-time work through a government-supported program that was also used during the pandemic.

欧洲最大的汽车零部件供应商博世表示，安世的情况带来了“重大挑战”，需要灵活应对。该公司表示，其在德国的两家工厂可能有多达1000名员工需要通过政府支持的计划转为兼职岗位，该计划在疫情期间也被使用过。

“We are using alternative sources of supply, optimizing inventory levels in our global manufacturing network and implementing technical alternatives,” said Inga Ehret, a spokeswoman for Bosch.

博世发言人英加·埃雷特表示：“我们正在使用替代供应源，优化我们全球制造网络中的库存水平，并实施技术替代方案。”

Nissan said on Wednesday that it would cut production at two plants in Japan because of the suspension of shipments from Nexperia. The company expects to have to “implement small-scale production adjustments involving several hundred units” at each factory starting next week, a spokeswoman said.

日产周三表示，由于安世暂停发货，将削减日本两家工厂的产量。发言人表示，预计下周起，每家工厂需“实施涉及数百辆车的微调生产计划”。

“The supply situation remains fluid, and we are monitoring developments closely,” she said. “Once supply stabilizes, we will recover quickly and ensure any impact on customer deliveries is minimized.”

她说：“供应情况仍然不稳定，我们正在密切关注事态发展。一旦供应稳定，我们将迅速恢复，将对客户交付的影响降到最低。”