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Belgium Detains Dual National on Semiconductor Espionage Suspicions

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2 sources across 2 countries · Brazil · United Kingdom

Who reported this

  • CNN Brasil Brazil · Centre · Rubens Menin (MRV)
  • Reuters United Kingdom · Centre · Thomson Reuters Corporation

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  • Centre-left
  • Centre
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  • Right
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Belgian authorities have detained a 52 year old man with Chinese and Belgian nationality on suspicion of semiconductor espionage. The man was arrested in May at Zaventem airport while attempting to board a flight to Beijing. According to prosecutors, the suspect held a leadership position at Belgan, a Belgian microchip manufacturer specializing in gallium nitride semiconductors that declared bankruptcy in July 2024. Investigators believe he simultaneously served as a director for a Chinese chip company founded shortly after he joined Belgan and funded by a Chinese investment fund. He is suspected of illegally transferring specialized intellectual property and trade secrets to China. These technologies are used in the military, aerospace, and automotive sectors, specifically for electric vehicles. The suspect remains in preventive detention, while a second individual under investigation remains free. The Chinese embassy in Belgium was not immediately available for comment.

How each side framed it

Centre
Both sources presented the event as a legal matter of suspected corporate and state espionage without adding ideological commentary.

Sources

100% of the statements in this article were traced back to the source articles listed above.