Belgium detains dual national in semiconductor espionage probe

Belgian prosecutors have detained a 52-year-old man with dual Chinese and Belgian nationality on suspicion of espionage in a case involving semiconductor technology.

The man has been held in pre-trial detention since May, prosecutors said. He previously held a senior position at Belgian microchip maker Belgan, a specialised producer of gallium nitride semiconductors that was declared bankrupt in July 2024, Reuters reports.

Prosecutors suspect the man simultaneously served as a director of a Chinese company producing the same type of chips. The company was established only a few months after he joined Belgan and was financed by a Chinese investment fund.

In that role, he is suspected of illegally transferring specialised intellectual property and trade secrets abroad related to the production of gallium nitride chips, which are used in electric vehicles, aerospace and military applications, prosecutors said.

The man, who lives in Belgium, was arrested in May at Zaventem airport while preparing to board a flight to Beijing.

Prosecutors said he remains in detention, while a second suspect in the investigation remains at large.

By Sabina Mammadli