Johnson questioned over alleged Chinese takeover of UK's biggest microchip plant

London [UK], April 5 : The UK Foreign Affairs Committee on Tuesday called on the Government to clarify the reasons why Prime Minister Boris Johnson requested a review in Newport Wafer Fab, UK's biggest microchip plant and why this review has not begun.
Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Tom Tugendhat MP, said, "Today, the Committee is calling on the Government to clarify the reasons why the Prime Minister requested a review in Newport Wafer Fab and why this review has not begun. The Government has the tools, it just needs to use them."
"The Prime Minister's assurances that work is underway are welcome. However, so few details have been provided to the Committee, that we are left with the unfortunate conclusion that no review has taken place," he added.
Newport Wafer Fab is one of the country's largest manufacturers of semiconductors. By the Government's own admission, semiconductors are critical to the UK's national security and wider global interests, said the statement by the UK Parliamentary Committee.
The takeover of Newport Wafer Fab by Nexperia, a company with links to the Chinese Communist Party, represents the sale of one of the UK's prized assets to a strategic competitor and potentially compromises national security, it added.
"Semiconductors are essential to every aspect of modern life and Newport Wafer Fab is one of the country's leading manufacturers. Their takeover by Nexperia left many wondering why we are, seemingly, handing over critical security infrastructure to overseas companies with well-documented links to the Chinese state," the MP noted.