Taiwanese authorities have reportedly issued an arrest warrant for Pete Lau, co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of smartphone brand OnePlus, over alleged violations of Taiwan’s laws governing the recruitment of local technology talent by mainland Chinese companies. The development was first reported by Bloomberg.
According to the report, prosecutors in Taipei’s Shilin District Court have indicted Lau along with two Taiwanese nationals accused of acting on his behalf. Authorities allege that the group illegally recruited more than 70 Taiwanese engineers to work for OnePlus and its sister company Oppo in mainland China. Pete Lau currently serves as CEO of OnePlus and Chief Product Officer at Oppo, both of which are affiliated with Chinese smartphone giant BBK Electronics.
The investigation reportedly focuses on recruitment activities dating back to 2014. Under Taiwan’s Act Governing Relations Between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area, mainland Chinese companies are prohibited from hiring Taiwanese professionals without prior approval from the Taiwanese government. Violations of this law can carry severe criminal penalties, including imprisonment and fines.
Taiwan introduced these restrictions to protect its strategically critical semiconductor, electronics, and advanced manufacturing sectors. These industries are considered vital to the island’s economy and national security, and authorities have long expressed concerns about intellectual property leakage and the loss of highly skilled engineering talent to mainland China.
The case involving OnePlus is part of a broader crackdown by Taiwan on what it describes as systematic talent poaching by Chinese technology firms. In recent years, Taiwanese prosecutors have pursued similar cases against executives and intermediaries linked to several mainland companies, including suppliers in Apple’s manufacturing ecosystem such as Luxshare Precision Industry Co., according to Bloomberg.
In response to the claims, OnePlus stated that its global business operations remain unaffected and are continuing as normal. The company did not provide further details on the legal proceedings.
The case underscores rising cross-strait tensions and increased regulatory scrutiny surrounding talent mobility, technology transfer, and national security as competition intensifies in the global semiconductor and smartphone industries.
