Germany's Volkswagen warned Wednesday that its car production could be hit by a shortage of Nexperia semiconductors amid a deepening row between China and the Netherlands over the chipmaker.

Dutch officials invoked a Cold War-era law last month to effectively take control of the Netherlands-based but Chinese-owned Nexperia, citing national security concerns, as the sector increasingly becomes a focus of geopolitical tensions.

The company then said Beijing had banned it from exporting certain goods from China since early October -- potentially a serious problem for carmakers as its chips are widely used in vehicles' electronic control units.

Volkswagen, Europe's biggest carmaker, confirmed some Nexperia components are used in its vehicles but said production was "currently unaffected".

See Full Page