Taiwan Probes China's SMIC for Illegal Tech Worker Poaching

Photo : AFP

Taiwanese officials are looking into claims that China’s biggest chip company, SMIC, has been secretly hiring workers from Taiwan. They believe SMIC used a fake company that pretended to be from the small Pacific country of Samoa to hide its actions.

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Taiwan is very serious about stopping Chinese companies from taking its chip-making secrets. Taiwan is one of the top countries in the world for making advanced computer chips. The government says China is trying to steal this knowledge by offering jobs to Taiwanese engineers through hidden companies.

Taiwan’s Ministry of Justice Investigation Bureau (MJIB) said SMIC opened a company in Taiwan under a false name. This company was in Hsinchu County, near Hsinchu City. Hsinchu is Taiwan’s most important place for making computer chips. It is also where TSMC, the world’s largest chip-making company, is based.

Officials did not say much about the fake company, but they believe it was used to secretly hire skilled Taiwanese engineers. They also did not say how many workers had been hired this way.

SMIC has been working hard to grow China’s chip-making industry, especially because the U.S. has put strict rules on China getting advanced chips. However, SMIC has not yet answered questions about these claims.

This month, Taiwan’s government sent 180 officers to check 11 companies that were suspected of illegal hiring, including the one linked to SMIC. They searched 34 places and spoke to 90 people as part of the investigation.

Since 2020, Taiwan has been closely watching Chinese companies to stop them from taking its workers. The MJIB says it has looked into more than 100 cases like this.

Taiwanese officials say the chip industry is very important to the country’s economy. They call it the “mountain that protects the nation.” They believe that China is working hard to take Taiwan’s best engineers by offering them jobs in secret.

Many of these companies pretend to be from Taiwan or other countries. Some work with job agencies to find workers quietly. Others run hidden offices to avoid getting caught.

Taiwan says it will do more to protect its chip industry. It is warning workers to be careful about job offers from unknown companies. The government is also asking businesses to report any suspicious hiring attempts.

This is not the first time Taiwan has accused China of trying to take its chip-making skills. The battle over technology between the two sides is likely to continue.