Belgian Chip Researcher Held over Alleged Secrets Leak to China
Belgian prosecutors said on Monday they have held a 52-year-old Belgian-Chinese researcher since May on suspicion of passing gallium nitride chip secrets to a Chinese mirror company. He worked at BelGaN, the Oudenaarde fab that Chinese investors bought in 2022 and later led to its bankruptcy in 2024. A second suspect is being sought.
September 7, 2026 – 10:44 pm
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Belgian prosecutors have held a 52-year-old man in pre-trial detention since May 10 on suspicion of espionage, participation in a criminal organization, misuse of company assets, and unlawful disclosure of trade secrets regarding gallium nitride chip technology. The individual, holding Belgian and Chinese nationality, was arrested at Brussels Airport as he attempted to board a flight to Beijing.
The man held a senior research position at BelGaN, which went bankrupt in July 2024 after being purchased by a Chinese investment fund in 2022. Investigators suspect the researcher was simultaneously acting as a director of a competing Chinese company specializing in gallium nitride chip manufacturing.
Prosecutors claim that specialized intellectual property and trade secrets related to gallium nitride chips were illegally transferred abroad. Data storage devices and communications equipment were seized and are currently being analyzed.
Gallium nitride, a material used in fast chargers, electric vehicle power electronics, satellite communication, radar, and electronic warfare, is a niche area within the chip industry, with Belgium home to only one company producing it: BelGaN.
The Oudenaarde site, older than most European chip fabs, opened over 40 years ago. Despite the Chinese investment aimed at creating a "GaN valley" in Europe, BelGaN failed, resulting in job losses estimated between 400 and 440 by various sources.
The investigation was sparked by the bankruptcy of BelGaN, leading Belgian authorities to uncover suspicions of espionage. The second suspect, believed to be the former CEO Alan Zhen Zhou, remains at large.