The Ministry of Justice’s Investigation Bureau yesterday carried out a massive nationwide operation, raiding eight Hong Kong and Chinese firms that had allegedly stolen trade secrets from Taiwan’s high-tech sector, and summoning more than 60 people for questioning.
The raids took place at 14 locations in Taipei, Taoyuan, Hsinchu and Taichung. Local prosecutors coordinated with Investigation Bureau officers and local police to collect evidence and serve the summons, ministry officials said.
The eight firms are mainly engaged in business and technology transfers in Taiwan’s chip design and manufacturing, as well as electric vehicle industries, and are suspected of stealing high-tech trade secrets and proprietary patents, the bureau said.
Photo: Wu Cheng-feng, Taipei Times
The firms are Advanced Manufacturing EDA Co (全芯智造), Analogix Semiconductor (矽谷數模), GLC Semiconductor (聚力成科技), Vimicro Co (中星微), VeriSilicon Co (芯原微電子), Key Technology Co (北京開易弘), Beijing Yinxing Technology (印星科技) and Bouson International (柏森國際).
Taiwan’s high-tech industries have seen an increase in trade secrets theft, bureau officials said.
Last year alone, it investigated 26 cases, and based on preliminary estimates, the Taiwanese firms involved lost NT$211.8 billion (US$7.45 billion) in total, as the trade secrets were passed on to China, the officials said.
“High-tech industries are the lifeline of our nation’s economic development. The semiconductor industry is a vital ‘silicon shield’ that safeguards Taiwan and boosts economic growth... The Chinese-backed firms tried to circumvent restrictions, to break laws with help from Taiwanese collaborators or through foreign-registered entities, to steal vital technology secrets,” the bureau said in a news release.
“These Chinese-backed firms also schemed to hide the source of their Chinese capital, and cover up their ownership... They were found to have engaged in the illegal recruitment of our high-tech talent, and stole trade secrets. Besides undermining Taiwan’s economic competitiveness, these actions also endangered our national security,” the bureau said.
The 60 people questioned were witnesses or people suspected of contravening the Trade Secrets Act (營業秘密法), the Act Governing Relations Between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area (台灣地區與大陸地區人民關係條例) and other laws, bureau officials said.
Separately, ministry officials yesterday presented a report on the Financial Intelligence Unit’s successful efforts to stem international money-laundering operations.
The unit cooperated with the US Office of Foreign Assets Control, counterparts in the EU and UN agencies to reach an agreement on the imposition of economic sanctions against certain countries, which was the platform Taiwan used to join other nations in sanctioning Russia over its invasion of Ukraine.
Typhoon Usagi yesterday had weakened into a tropical storm, but a land warning issued by the Central Weather Administration (CWA) was still in effect in four areas in southern Taiwan. As of 5pm yesterday, Tropical Storm Usagi was over waters 120km south-southwest of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), the southernmost tip of Taiwan proper, and was moving north at 9kph, CWA data showed. The storm was expected to veer northeast later yesterday. It had maximum sustained winds of 101kph, with gusts of up to 126kph, the data showed. The CWA urged residents of Kaohsiung, Pingtung County, Taitung County and the Hengchun Peninsula (恆春) to remain alert to
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