Dutch court opens trial of ASML semiconductor case.

Reuters reported that the European management of Dutch semiconductor company ASML appeared in court in the Netherlands on the 14th local time to face off against their Chinese parent company, SMIC. This is the latest round of battle for control between the two parties, which has led to a global shortage of automotive chips. Last year on October 7th, the Dutch Enterprise Court ruled to temporarily suspend Zhang Xuezheng, the founder of SMIC, from his position as CEO of ASML due to "reasons to suspect improper management" and strip SMIC of control over ASML. This Wednesday, the Dutch Enterprise Court held a public hearing for the first time, where the judge will hear arguments from both sides and decide whether a full investigation should be launched into the allegations of "improper management" made by ASML's European executives, or whether the previous ruling should be overturned. Bloomberg reported that the battle for control over ASML is entering a critical stage, and if the Dutch court decides to initiate an investigation, the trustee previously appointed by the court will continue to control the company headquartered in Nijmegen, prolonging the dispute between SMIC and ASML. If the Dutch court decides not to launch an investigation, SMIC will regain control over ASML, and the ongoing standoff disrupting the European and global automotive industry will come to an end.