Chips, China And Trade Secrets: How an Arrest In Brussels Could Tie Them Together
Belgian prosecutors are investigating whether a state-backed Chinese firm stole trade secrets from the country’s leading chipmaker before it collapsed.
A sign outside the former BelGaN chip factory in Oudenaarde, Belgium. Credit: Sipa via AP Images
Just before he could board a flight from Brussels to Beijing earlier this year, Belgian authorities arrested a 52-year old Belgian-Chinese semiconductor researcher who had worked in the country for more than a decade. His suspected crime? Stealing trade secrets on behalf of a Chinese competitor to Belgium’s only chipmaking firm.
BelGaN's former chip factory in Belgium. Credit: BelGaN
The scientist, whose name has not been disclosed, had been working at BelGaN, a company based in central
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