Chinese state-backed chip executive arrested in Belgium over military-grade gallium nitride technology theft

Belgian federal police arrested a senior Chinese semiconductor executive at Brussels Airport before he could board a flight to Shanghai, The Brussels Times reported. The executive, who ran a key research division at Belgian foundry BelGaN, had secretly built a parallel rival company in China backed by state investment funds. Prosecutors charged him with corporate espionage for systematically exfiltrating gallium nitride fabrication blueprints vital for radar systems, aerospace components, and electric vehicles.

The bust lays bare a massive operation of state-backed industrial espionage through talent recruitment exploitation. It mirrors the 2018 arrest of Chinese intelligence officer Yanjun Xu in Brussels. Beijing routinely exploits Europe’s open academic and corporate culture, using state venture funds to plant researchers inside Western foundries to fuel export control evasion.

This illicit funnel saves Chinese military developers billions in research and development. By siphoning dual-use technology from European partners, Beijing bypasses international trade safeguards to modernize its defense sector. Global scientific cooperation becomes just another pipeline for state theft.