Members of the upper house of the British parliament have questioned the government over the planned Chinese takeover of one of the UK’s biggest microchip factories, warning that the deal could threaten the UK’s “national resilience.” Newport Wafer Fab (NWF), based in Wales, specialises in manufacturing the more advanced compound semiconductors, which is the key technology used in 5G networks and facial recognition software. In July 2021, Nexperia, a Dutch firm wholly owned by China’s Wingtech Technology, said it had obtained 100 percent ownership of NWF. Wingtech, whose shareholders include Chinese state-funded investors, supplies chips to Chinese smartphone makers, including Huawei. In a House of Lords session on April 7, Liberal Democrat peer Lord Fox called on the government to outline its position on the takeover. He told peers: “The minister has said in the past that there are no specialist technologies at Newport Wafer Fab but that ignores the …