Belgium detains dual national researcher accused of stealing chip technology for China

Belgian authorities have detained a 52-year-old dual Chinese-Belgian researcher, arrested at Brussels Airport on May 10, 2026, while attempting to fly to Beijing. The suspect, who denies the charges, is accused of illegally transferring trade secrets regarding gallium nitride chip technology to a Chinese 'mirror' company, Gankool. The investigation stems from the 2024 bankruptcy of BelGaN, Belgium's last chip fab, which left over 400 people unemployed.

Belgium chip espionage arrest

• ▪The detained suspect denies the charges of espionage and trade secret theft, according to reports by Belgian broadcaster RTBF.
• ▪The detained 52-year-old suspect is facing four charges: espionage, participation in a criminal organisation, misuse of company assets, and unlawful disclosure of trade secrets.
• ▪Belgian authorities arrested a 52-year-old dual Chinese-Belgian national on May 10, 2026, at Brussels Airport as he was attempting to board a flight to Beijing.
• ▪Belgian prosecutors are seeking a second suspect in the semiconductor espionage investigation, who remains at large.

BelGaN bankruptcy investigation

• ▪Belgian authorities suspect that the Chinese investors who acquired BelGaN in February 2022 never intended to rescue the firm, but rather aimed to obtain its technology.
• ▪The espionage investigation was triggered by the insolvency proceedings of BelGaN, a Belgian gallium nitride chip manufacturer that was declared bankrupt in July 2024.
• ▪The bankruptcy of BelGaN in July 2024 resulted in the loss of approximately 400 to 440 jobs at its manufacturing facility in Oudenaarde, Belgium.

Chinese mirror company setup

• ▪The Chinese company, identified as Gankool in Fujian province, was established a few months after the suspect joined BelGaN and was financed by a Chinese investment fund.
• ▪The detained suspect held a senior research position at BelGaN while simultaneously serving as a director of a Chinese company operating in the same field.
• ▪The Belgium State Security Service's annual report describes a 'mirror company' playbook where Chinese investors buy financially troubled European firms to access technology and replicate it in China.

Gallium nitride technology transfer

• ▪Gallium nitride is a specialized semiconductor material used in electric vehicle power electronics, aerospace, satellite communications, radar, and military electronic warfare.
• ▪The investigation concerns the suspected illegal transfer of specialized intellectual property and trade secrets related to gallium nitride-based chip manufacturing technologies.

European espionage investigations pattern

• ▪Belgian police detained a Canadian intern of Chinese origin in July 2026 on suspicion of engaging in espionage at NATO's military headquarters in Mons, Belgium.
• ▪In 2025, a German court sentenced Jian Guo, a former assistant to a German Member of the European Parliament, to five years in prison for passing sensitive EU documents to Beijing.