Review into planned takeover of Newport Wafer Fab by Chinese firm Wingtech has not begun

A REVIEW into the planned takeover of a Newport company by a Chineseowned firm has not been started, despite the Prime Minister’s assurance he had commissioned such a report.

Concerns have been raised about the takeover of Newport Wafer Fab by Nexperia, a company with links to the Chinese Communist Party, over fears it could compromise national security.

The Commons’ Foreign Affairs Committee says the Prime Minister said he had commissioned such a review but “in the absence of any evidence to the contrary, the assumption is that the National Security Adviser’s review has not been started”.

In July 2021, Boris Johnson said he had asked his national security adviser to review the purchase.

Speaking to MPs on parliament’s liaison committee, Mr Johnson said: “I think semiconductors are of huge importance to this country, and one of the things I wanted to look at immediately when I became prime minister was whether or not we could become more self-reliant. We have to judge that the stuff that they are making is of real intellectual property value and interest to China, whether there are real security implications.”

Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee Tom Tugendhat MP said in a statement: “We are, seemingly, handing over critical security infrastructure to overseas companies with well-documented links to the Chinese state.” He added: “So few details have been provided to the committee that we are left with the unfortunate conclusion that no review has taken place. 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.”