Taiwan investigates 17 Chinese firms on suspicion of poaching of tech talent

TAIPEI- Taiwan's government said on Wednesday it had searched dozens of locations and interviewed more than 100 people in an investigation into 17 Chinese companies suspected of illegally trying to recruit chip and other high-tech talent.

Semiconductor powerhouse Taiwan, which China views as its own territory, has stepped up a campaign against what it sees as underhand methods being used by Chinese companies to poach Taiwanese tech workers.

The Taiwan justice ministry's investigation bureau said in a statement that between July 13 and August 4, 330 agents searched 64 locations and questioned 114 people in coordinated raids on Chinese firms suspected of illegally recruiting tech workers and operating unlicensed offices in Taiwan.

Countries around the world are devoting resources to AI research and development, and Taiwan has advantages "built on a deep foundation", the bureau said.

"However, these industries have recently faced the problem of core high-tech talent being targeted and recruited away by Chinese companies, potentially eroding Taiwan's key competitive advantages," it added.

The companies named included several publicly listed Chinese tech firms, including semiconductor-equipment maker ACM Research Shanghai 688082.SS, IC designer Goke Microelectronics 300672.SZ, consumer-battery supplier Zhuhai CosMX Battery 688772.SS and chip designer Actions Technology 688049.SS.

None of the companies immediately responded to requests for comment.

The bureau said Chinese companies commonly concealed their identities by pretending to be Taiwanese or foreign companies, set up offices without approval and sent over staff to try to illegally recruit Taiwanese talent.

Taiwan has announced similar raids before, including in March.

Beijing has never renounced the use of force to bring Taiwan under its control. Taiwan strongly objects to China's sovereignty claims and says only the island's people can decide their future.

Taiwanese law prohibits Chinese investment in some parts of the semiconductor supply chain, including chip design, and requires reviews for other areas such as chip packaging, making it difficult for Chinese chip companies to operate on the island legally.

Reporting by Ben Blanchard and Wen-Yee Lee; Additional reporting by Eduardo Baptista in Beijing; Editing by Jamie Freed/Reuters