A planned flight to Beijing ended at Brussels Airport for a Belgian-Chinese semiconductor researcher suspected of transferring sensitive chip technology to China.
Belgian prosecutors are investigating whether a 52-year-old dual national unlawfully transferred intellectual property and trade secrets from bankrupt semiconductor manufacturer BelGaN to a company in China.
The man was detained at Brussels Airport on May 10 as he prepared to board a flight to Beijing. He was formally arrested the following day and remains in pretrial detention at Oudenaarde prison, according to Belgian prosecutors.
Prosecutors said he previously held a senior research role at BelGaN while also serving as a director of a Chinese company involved in similar manufacturing work. That company was established several months after he joined BelGaN and was financed by a Chinese investment fund.
Investigators are examining possible espionage, participation in a criminal organization, misuse of company assets and unlawful disclosure of business secrets.
Belgian prosecutors said the case may involve the unauthorized transfer of specialized intellectual property and trade secrets linked to gallium nitride, or GaN, chips. The technology has applications in electric vehicles, aerospace and military systems.
The suspect denies the allegations, according to the Financial Times. Authorities are also pursuing a second suspect.
A failed chipmaker at the center
BelGaN operated a semiconductor plant in Oudenaarde, Belgium, and was declared bankrupt in July 2024, affecting more than 400 jobs.
The company had sought to turn the facility into a European hub for GaN manufacturing, but the project ultimately failed after financing difficulties, according to EUToday. The criminal investigation emerged from inquiries surrounding the company’s collapse.
Investigators have conducted several searches and seized data-storage devices and electronic communications, which are being analyzed.
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Why GaN technology matters
GaN semiconductors can operate efficiently at higher voltages and frequencies than conventional silicon devices. That makes them useful across power electronics and specialized systems, including vehicles, telecommunications, data centers, aerospace and defense.
That breadth makes the alleged transfer of GaN know-how more significant than the loss of a single company’s intellectual property. For European chipmakers, research expertise and manufacturing knowledge can be as strategically important as physical factories.
The case also highlights a difficult security problem: sensitive technology can potentially leave a company through people, partnerships and corporate relationships, not just through a hacked network.
Europe’s growing technology-security concerns
The investigation comes as European governments tighten scrutiny of Chinese involvement in strategic industries.
Belgium introduced foreign investment screening in 2023 covering sensitive areas including semiconductors, defense, aerospace and digital infrastructure. Belgium’s State Security Service has also warned about methods it calls “Copy to China,” involving efforts to obtain European technology or expertise.
At the same time, authorities distinguish legitimate commercial and scientific cooperation from espionage. For companies, that distinction will become increasingly important. Stronger controls can protect valuable technology, but overly broad restrictions could also complicate legitimate international research and investment.
The allegations against the researcher have not been proven in court, and Belgian prosecutors have not publicly identified the Chinese company involved. The investigation remains ongoing.
For semiconductor companies and research organizations, the case underscores that protecting intellectual property requires more than network security. Access controls, conflict-of-interest checks, oversight of outside corporate roles and safeguards around sensitive research can all help reduce insider risk.
Read more: As governments try to keep strategically important semiconductor technology out of China, recent cases show how restricted Nvidia chips and other advanced hardware continue to move through intermediaries and shell companies.