BEIJING, Nov 9 (Reuters) - China has granted exemptions

to export controls on Nexperia chips for civilian applications,

the commerce ministry said on Sunday in a move that will help to

relieve supply shortages for carmakers and automotive

suppliers.

The announcement is the strongest signal yet from Beijing that

it will ease pressure on the global auto industry caused by

export curbs imposed after the Dutch government took control of

Nexperia, a large manufacturer of basic chips used in automotive

electrical systems.

Nexperia is based in the Netherlands but owned by Chinese

company Wingtech.

China's commerce ministry did not specify what it considered to

be civilian use, but its announcement follows statements from

German and Japanese companies saying that deliveries of

Nexperia's Chinese-made chips had resumed.

Nevertheless, bilateral ties between China and the

Netherlands, and by extension the European Union, are likely to

remain strained until the dispute over Nexperia's ownership and

operations is resolved.

The Dutch government took control of Nexperia on

September 30, saying that Wingtech was planning to move the

company's European production to China and that this would pose

a threat to European economic security.

China responded by cutting off exports of the company's

finished chips, which are mostly packaged in China, though it

said last week that it would begin accepting applications for

exemptions after a meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump

and Chinese President Xi Jinping on October 30.

China's commerce ministry has repeatedly said it was

protecting global chip supply chains while the Netherlands was

failing to take action to resolve the dispute.

The ministry's statement on Sunday said that China hoped

the EU would "further intensify" efforts to urge the Dutch side

to revoke its seizure of Nexperia.

"China welcomes the EU to continue leveraging its influence

to urge the Netherlands to promptly rectify its erroneous

actions," the ministry added.