The charges are the latest in a series of recent indictments that accuse Chinese companies and individuals of stealing valuable American technology.
WASHINGTON — The Department of Justice charged a Chinese state-owned company, its Taiwanese partner and three individuals on Thursday with stealing trade secrets from an American technology company, the latest move by the Trump administration to crack down on China’s “economic espionage.”
The indictments come as the United States remains locked in a bitter trade war with China, which the Trump administration has accused of unfair trade practices, including stealing valuable intellectual property and technology from American companies. The charges filed on Thursday are the latest in a series of indictments that accuse China of elaborate efforts to steal corporate secrets through espionage and hacking.
The Justice Department unveiled charges against Fujian Jinhua Integrated Circuit, a Chinese state-owned enterprise, United Microelectronics Corporation, a Taiwanese semiconductor company, and three Taiwanese nationals. They are accused of conspiring to steal technology from Micron Technology, an Idaho-based chip maker that does extensive business in Asia.
“As this and other recent cases have shown, Chinese economic espionage against the United States has been increasing — and it has been increasing rapidly,” Attorney General Jeff Sessions said. “I am here to say that enough is enough.”
Earlier this week, the Commerce Department said that Jinhua will be barred from buying American components because it poses a national security threat to the United States.
According to the Justice Department, a former executive of a Micron subsidiary left the company in 2015 and went to work for United Microelectronics Corporation in Taiwan.
