Prosecutors in Taiwan have issued an arrest warrant for OnePlus CEO Pete Lau over alleged illegal hirings. The move shows that Taiwan is taking tougher action against Chinese technology companies for hiring Taiwanese workers. According to the Shilin District Prosecutors Office in Taipei, Pete Lau is suspected of breaking Taiwanese laws by helping OnePlus recruit engineers in Taiwan without government approval. Prosecutors also indicted two Taiwanese citizens who allegedly worked with Lau to carry out these hirings. Investigators believe OnePlus illegally hired more than 70 engineers in Taiwan, according to reports.
The charges against Lau are based on the Act Governing Relations Between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area. Lau is a well-known figure in China’s tech industry and helped grow OnePlus into a global brand. Today, OnePlus operates as one of the smartphone brands under Oppo.
Taiwan has been increasing its efforts to stop Chinese companies from recruiting local talent, especially in technology fields. The officials believe that recruiting to Chinese firms could threaten Taiwan’s national security.
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Under Taiwanese law, Chinese companies are not allowed to set up offices or hire workers in Taiwan unless they receive official government approval. However, authorities say many companies try to get around these rules by pretending to be foreign or local businesses.
Last year, Taiwanese investigators searched 34 locations as part of a wider investigation into 11 Chinese technology companies suspected of illegal recruiting. One of those companies was Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp. (SMIC). Investigators said SMIC allegedly created a fake foreign company, registered in Samoa, to secretly hire Taiwanese engineers.
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Taiwan’s Investigation Bureau earlier said it opened more than 100 cases against Chinese companies for illegal hiring since a special task force was set up in 2020. Officials say Taiwan remains a key target for recruitment because it shares the same language with China and has some of the best tech talent in the world.