A former tech executive is under investigation for allegedly luring more than 100 people to work for Chinese state-owned firm Tsinghua Tongfang Co in a serious breach of national security, prosecutors said on Thursday.
Chen Yu (陳俞), a former executive of chip manufacturer United Microelectronics Corp (UMC) and former vice chairman of PC manufacturer Shuttle Inc, was on Thursday released on bail of NT$1 million (US$31,273) and prohibited from leaving the country after questioning by prosecutors.
Chen has been listed as a suspect and faces charges of contravening provisions of the Act Governing Relations Between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area (臺灣地區與大陸地區人民關係條例), information from the Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office showed.
Photo: Chen Tsai-ling, Taipei Times
Working together, the Ministry of Justice Investigation Bureau and Taipei prosecutors earlier this year uncovered large flows of funds from China to Uniwill Technology, a gaming laptop and PC producer based in Taipei’s Neihu District (內湖) that is headed by Chen.
After stints at UMC and other tech companies, Chen worked as deputy chairman at Shuttle Inc, but left in 2014 to establish Uniwill Technology, which was co-owned and jointly funded by Tsinghua Tongfang, a subsidiary of Chinese state-owned China National Nuclear Corp (CNNC), an investigation found.
The bureau uncovered evidence that Chen offered high salaries to lure more than 100 information technology (IT) workers, including computer engineers, designers and technicians, from Shuttle to Uniwill Technology.
Aside from poaching talent from his old company, Chen also posted adverts on job bank sites and social media to recruit people with IT industry experience to work on research, development and design of computer and gaming applications, which are then transferred from Uniwill to Tsinghua Tongfang and subsequently to CNNC, prosecutors said.
Chen breached the law requiring Chinese investments and companies to apply for approval from the Ministry of Economic Affairs to set up business in Taiwan, they said.
His covert actions and poaching of Taiwanese talent to help Chinese state-owned firms research, develop and design IT products for Chinese state-owned firms undermine Taiwan’s security, they said.
While working at Shuttle Inc in early 2010s, Chen learned that the company’s executives refused to sell, purchase or deal with Chinese firms like Tsinghua Tongfang, prosecutors said.
Chen then contacted the Chinese company on his own, saying he was willing to cooperate and do business with them, they said.
He began secret talks with Tsinghua Tongfang, providing it with plans and arrangements for establishing a new company in Taiwan, they said.
He covered up the sources of Chinese funding for the new firm, Uniwill Technology, which on paper lists him as the sole proprietor and operator, they said.
Global bodies should stop excluding Taiwan for political reasons, President William Lai (賴清德) told Pope Francis in a letter, adding that he agrees war has no winners. The Vatican is one of only 12 countries to retain formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan, and Taipei has watched with concern efforts by Beijing and the Holy See to improve ties. In October, the Vatican and China extended an accord on the appointment of Catholic bishops in China for four years, pointing to a new level of trust between the two parties. Lai, writing to the pope in response to the pontiff’s message on Jan. 1’s
A Vietnamese migrant worker on Thursday won the NT$12 million (US$383,590) jackpot on a scratch-off lottery ticket she bought from a lottery shop in Changhua County’s Puyan Township (埔鹽), Taiwan Lottery Co said yesterday. The lottery winner, who is in her 30s and married, said she would continue to work in Taiwan and send her winnings to her family in Vietnam to improve their life. More Taiwanese and migrant workers have flocked to the lottery shop on Sec 2 of Jhangshuei Road (彰水路) to share in the luck. The shop owner, surnamed Chen (陳), said that his shop has been open for just
HOLIDAY EXERCISE: National forest recreation areas from north to south offer travelers a wide choice of sights to connect with nature and enjoy its benefits Hiking is a good way to improve one’s health, the Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency said, as it released a list of national forest recreation areas that travelers can visit during the Lunar New Year holiday. Taking a green shower of phytoncides in the woods could boost one’s immunity system and metabolism, agency Director-General Lin Hwa-ching (林華慶) cited a Japanese study as saying. For people visiting northern Taiwan, Lin recommended the Dongyanshan National Forest Recreation Area in Taoyuan’s Fusing District (復興). Once an important plantation in the north, Dongyanshan (東眼山) has a number of historic monuments, he said. The area is broadly covered by
TAKE BREAKS: A woman developed cystitis by refusing to get up to use the bathroom while playing mahjong for fear of disturbing her winning streak, a doctor said People should stand up and move around often while traveling or playing mahjong during the Lunar New Year holiday, as prolonged sitting can lead to cystitis or hemorrhoids, doctors said. Yuan’s General Hospital urologist Lee Tsung-hsi (李宗熹) said that he treated a 63-year-old woman surnamed Chao (趙) who had been sitting motionless and holding off going to the bathroom, increasing her risk of bladder infection. Chao would drink beverages and not urinate for several hours while playing mahjong with friends and family, especially when she was on a winning streak, afraid that using the bathroom would ruin her luck, he said. She had
RSS