The Netherlands' seizure of Chinese-owned chipmaker Nexperia was not a "measure against China", Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof said Thursday as trade tensions spike between Europe and Beijing.

Dutch officials invoked a Cold War-era law in late September to effectively take control of Nexperia, citing national security concerns, as chip manufacturing increasingly becomes a focus of geopolitical tensions.

The company says Beijing has, in turn, banned it from exporting certain goods from China since October 4.

"Nexperia is about mismanagement by the CEO, that's what it's about, it's not a measure directed against China," Schoof told reporters before meeting fellow EU leaders in Brussels with trade on the agenda.

European carmakers have warned the row between Beijing and Nexperia risks c

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