U.S. charges China firm in trade secrets theft
Case involves $8.7B in stolen technology
LOS ANGELES — The United States has charged a government-controlled company in China with stealing trade secrets from an American semiconductor company, the Justice Department said Thursday.
The prosecution comes amid heightened trade tensions between China and the U.S. and as the Trump administration raises alarms that Beijing remains intent on stealing technology.
The case involves trade secrets worth up to $8.75 billion and allegedly stolen from Idaho-based Micron Technology Inc., and is the latest in a series of prosecutions targeting Chinese corporate espionage. On Tuesday, prosecutors in California announced charges against Chinese intelligence officers for trying to steal information on commercial jet engines.
Other cases have involved stolen wind turbine technology and software source code.
“China — like any advanced nation — must decide whether it wants to be a trusted partner on the world stage, or whether it wants to be known around the world as a dishonest regime running a corrupt economy founded on fraud, theft and strong-arm tactics,” Attorney General Jeff Sessions said at a news conference.
The charges name two companies, one in China and one in Taiwan, and three Taiwanese defendants, none of whom is in U.S. custody.
One of the individuals had been president of a company that Micron acquired in 2013 and then went to work for the Taiwan semiconductor company, United Microelectronics Corporation, where prosecutors say he orchestrated the theft.
That company partnered with a Chinese-controlled business, Fujian Jinhua Integrated Circuit Co., to massproduce memory storage products used in computer electronics.
The administration on Wednesday imposed restrictions on technology exports to the Chinese company. Beijing has spent heavily to build up Jinhua and other chipmakers as part of efforts to transform China into a global leader in robotics, artificial intelligence and other technology industries.
The United States also sued to block the transfer of trade secrets and to prevent the companies from exporting to the U.S. any products that they manufacture by exploiting stolen information.
In addition, the Justice Department announced an initiative to target Chinese economic espionage by identifying priority cases and ensuring there are enough resources available.