Recently, a South Korean chip engineer was confirmed to have been arrested in China on suspicion of espionage. Prior to this, the South Korean government had just announced a series of new measures to crack down on thieves of trade secrets in order to prevent the leakage of core technological secrets. The arrest of the South Korean chip engineer at this time point has led experts to believe that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is seeking to demonstrate against South Korea through retaliatory actions.
The CCP’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed on October 29 that a South Korean chip engineer was arrested on suspicion of engaging in espionage activities.
According to reports from the South Korean news agency Yonhap, Engineer A, a former employee of Samsung Electronics’ chip division, had worked at three to four major chip companies in China since 2016, including the largest storage company, ChangXin Storage. At the end of last year, he was taken away by the Chinese national security from his home in Hefei, Anhui Province, on suspicion of espionage. He lived there with his wife and two daughters.
National security authorities claimed that Engineer A disclosed chip-related information to South Korea during his time at ChangXin Storage. However, Engineer A claims that he did not have authorization to access China’s core chip technology.
Engineer A has been detained at a local hotel and has undergone five months of interrogation. The CCP’s national security department took over the case in May this year, and Engineer A is currently being held at the Hefei detention center.
This is the first detention of a South Korean national on espionage charges since the CCP amended the Anti-Espionage Law in July last year. Prior to Beijing confirming Engineer A’s arrest, Seoul had just announced strict measures to prevent China from stealing the country’s semiconductor intellectual property. The timing of Engineer A’s arrest has raised concerns.
Su Zi-yun, director of the Strategic and Resources Institute at the Taiwan Institute for National Defense Studies, told Epoch Times on October 30 that the CCP had arrested individuals from Japan earlier, including the case where a Japanese company executive helped China explore geothermal energy and was arrested on espionage charges. Even when the Canadian government detained Meng Wanzhou, the Beijing government also announced the arrest of a Canadian citizen, claiming he was a spy. Looking at these past patterns of behavior, Engineer A’s arrest this time is seen as a retaliatory action taken by Beijing. The goal is to demonstrate against South Korea through this action, while also indicating that the CCP has its own semiconductor technology.
Furthermore, Engineer A’s family has stated that he suffers from diabetes and is unable to obtain medication. Su Zi-yun emphasized that regardless of whether it is retaliation or a so-called wrongful case, providing treatment for chronic illnesses is a basic human right. The CCP’s actions highlight their lack of civilization, backwardness, and the nature of an authoritarian government, which is very regrettable.
The revised version of the Anti-Espionage Law enacted in July last year has expanded law enforcement scope in many aspects, prohibiting the unauthorized transfer of any “information related to national security and interests,” and encouraging citizens to report espionage activities.
In response to this, Lai Rongwei, Executive Director of the Taiwan Inspirational Association (TIA), pointed out in an interview with Epoch Times that the current atmosphere of national security in China is very strong, and the definition of espionage under the so-called Anti-Espionage Law is very vague and general. In such a situation, any behavior that it deems harmful to the interests of the CCP could be utilized under these existing regulations to arrest individuals as bargaining chips in diplomatic negotiations or for hostage diplomacy.
He stressed that because the CCP lacks a normal intelligence oversight mechanism, any behavior related to intelligence could potentially be arbitrarily interpreted by the CCP. Not dissociating from the CCP, foreign citizens engaging in business or traveling to China may be arrested as spies at any time.
“Therefore, Taiwan is warning Taiwanese citizens that if you accidentally discuss sensitive topics with someone there, you may be reported by the people around you and taken away. Or if you have too close interactions with government officials, or ask for information in sensitive areas, you may be arrested for collecting intelligence,” and also, “You won’t have any chance to appeal because even the CCP’s judiciary itself is biased,” he said.
Earlier in late August this year, the CCP’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed that a Japanese citizen who was detained on espionage charges in March last year and formally arrested in October last year had been prosecuted by the CCP’s procuratorate. This Japanese citizen was an employee of Astellas Pharma, a Japanese company, who had been working in China for 20 years and had also held senior positions at the Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry in China. Lai Rongwei believes that these series of actions will only make other democratic countries afraid to engage with the CCP.
He said that while the CCP may conduct aggressive and savage wolf warrior diplomacy, it will inadvertently accelerate the withdrawal of foreign businesses from China.
Su Zi-yun also noted that “the CCP rules by the party, which has led to political tightening and economic downturn for the CCP.” Currently, the withdrawal of foreign investment from China is becoming increasingly evident, even “compared to the past, investment in China has decreased by almost 50%, all of which are the dilemmas caused by the CCP itself.”