US indicts Chinese, Taiwanese firms for trade espionage

The US Justice Department indicted two companies based in China and Taiwan and three individuals saying they conspired to steal trade secrets from US semiconductor company Micron relating to its research and development of memory storage devices. The charges against Taiwan-based United Microelectronics Corp, China state-owned Fujian Jinhua Integrated Circuit, Co, Ltd, and three individuals mark the fourth case brought since September as part of a broader crackdown against alleged Chinese espionage on US companies. US Attorney-General Jeff Sessions told a news conference that Chinese espionage has been "increasing rapidly", adding "cheating must stop". He said the government is launching a new initiative to crack down on Chinese espionage trade cases. In addition to the criminal case, the Justice Department also filed a civil lawsuit seeking to prevent the two companies from exporting any products created using trade secrets.