Prosecutors in Germany are charging a Chinese-born German national for stealing trade secrets in connection with his former position with chemicals firm Lanxess. German intelligence has warned firms that China may seek to uncover and export trade secrets and that it can be difficult to tell the difference betweens state and industrial espionage. In this case, the accused will stand trial for stealing data on a chemical reactor, and a second German national of Chinese origin, who received the stolen information by email and formed commercial entities to reproduce it in China, is also standing trial. U.S. intelligence has highlighted the threat these kind of espionage poses to U.S. businesses and the U.S. government has included complaints on the activity as part of the trade war, but the practice extends far beyond espionage in the U.S., including most countries around the world where cutting edge technology and research is conducted.
Source: Exclusive: German prosecutors charge Chinese-born engineer in industrial espionage case | Reuters