The takeover of Newport Wafer Fab by Nexperia represents the sale of one of the UK’s prized assets to a strategic competitor, at a time when global chip shortages means that the products manufactured by NWF are of vital national importance. Failure to conduct a detailed assessment of this transaction under the NSI Act would indicate that the Government continues to hold an unrealistically optimistic understanding of the Chinese government’s intentions and is prioritising short-term commercial...

The takeover of Newport Wafer Fab by Nexperia represents the sale of one of the UK’s prized assets to a strategic competitor, at a time when global chip shortages means that the products manufactured by NWF are of vital national importance. Failure to conduct a detailed assessment of this transaction under the NSI Act would indicate that the Government continues to hold an unrealistically optimistic understanding of the Chinese government’s intentions and is prioritising short-term commercial interests over the long-term security of our country. The case of NWF may yet serve to demonstrate that, despite the stated intentions of the NSI Bill, Type: conclusion | Number: 1 | Paragraph: 21 | Response status: under_consideration Government response: We note the Committee’s recommendation. The Government does not and will not prioritise short-term commercial interests over national security considerations. The Government is committed to the semiconductor cluster and the vital role it plays