Belgian prosecutors have kept a 52-year-old man with dual Chinese and Belgian nationality in pre-trial detention since May over suspected espionage involving semiconductor technology, a case that has heightened European concern about Beijing’s trade practices and pursuit of industrial secrets. The man formerly held a senior position at Belgan, a specialised producer of gallium nitride semiconductors that was declared bankrupt in July 2024. Prosecutors suspect he simultaneously served as a director of a Chinese company producing the same type of chips. That company was established only a few months after he joined Belgan and financed by a Chinese investment fund. He is suspected of illegally transferring intellectual property and trade secrets linked to gallium nitride chip production abroad. The chips are used in electric vehicles, aerospace and military applications. He was arrested at Zaventem airport in May shortly before a planned flight to Beijing. Prosecutors said he remains detained and that a second suspect remains at large. The Chinese embassy in Belgium was not immediately available for comment.