Belgium Detains Chinese-Belgian Man on Suspicion of Semiconductor Espionage

A 52-year-old man with Chinese and Belgian nationality has been held in Belgium since May on suspicion of semiconductor espionage, prosecutors said.

The man formerly held a senior position at Belgan, a Belgian microchip maker that specialised in gallium nitride semiconductors and was declared bankrupt in July 2024. Prosecutors suspect he also acted as a director of a Chinese company producing the same type of chips.

That company was established only a few months after he joined Belgan and received financing from a Chinese investment fund, prosecutors said. They suspect the man illegally transferred specialised intellectual property and trade secrets abroad. The technology relates to gallium nitride chips used in electric vehicles, aerospace and military applications.

The man lives in Belgium and was arrested in May at Zaventem airport while planning to fly to Beijing. Prosecutors said he remains in detention, while a second suspect in the investigation remains at large. China’s embassy in Belgium was not immediately available for comment.