Belgian prosecutors said a 52-year-old man identified as H.L., who holds Chinese and Belgian citizenship, has been in pretrial detention since May on suspicion of semiconductor-related espionage. H.L., a former senior executive at Belgian chipmaker BelGaN, was arrested at Brussels Airport on May 10 while preparing to fly to Beijing. He is suspected of illegally transferring proprietary intellectual property and trade secrets related to gallium nitride (GaN) chip production overseas. BelGaN, which developed GaN chips used in electric vehicles, aerospace, and military applications, declared bankruptcy in July 2024, resulting in approximately 420 job losses.
Belgian media reported that investigators suspect BelGaN’s Chinese owners, who took control of the company in 2021, may have sought to transfer its technology to China rather than revive the company. H.L. allegedly also held a senior position at Chinese semiconductor company Gankool (Fuzhou Jiagu Semiconductor) while working at BelGaN. Investigators reportedly found similarities between Gankool’s production technology and BelGaN’s and suspect an arrangement to transfer BelGaN’s intellectual property and trade secrets to Gankool. A second suspect remains at large, while BelGaN’s former CEO, Chinese national Alan Zhen Zhou, is also reportedly under investigation. H.L. faces allegations including espionage, unlawful disclosure of trade secrets, participation in a criminal organization, misuse of company assets, and violations of bankruptcy law.
Source: Epoch Times, September 7, 2026
https://www.epochtimes.com/gb/26/9/7/n14844378.htm