Zhang Xuezheng has often been in as much trouble in his home country as abroad.

The 50-year-old Chinese billionaire and his technology giant Wingtech have repeatedly found themselves on the wrong side of local authorities, resulting in millions in fines and even a 17-month jail sentence.

Zhang – often known by his nickname Wing – is now accused of an alleged heist of British and European technology, claims that have triggered an unprecedented seizure of his company assets that now threatens to bring the car industry to a halt.

Last month, the Dutch government triggered a Cold War law that had never been used before to take control of Nexperia, the Nijmegen-based semiconductor company that Zhang’s business Wingtech acquired in 2019. Zhang himself has been removed as chief executive by a

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