Auto engineer awaits charges in Chicago

By Xu Donghuan

Yu Xiangdong (center)

In response to an indictment Thursday from the US Justice Department of a former Chinese engineer at Ford Motor Co, arrested on charges of stealing trade secrets, the Beijing Automotive Industry Holding Corporation (BAIC), the current employer of the accused, said Monday that he was arrested while on personal leave in the US.

In a press release, BAIC, China's fifth-largest automaker, said the employee, Yu Xiangdong, had worked in the company's auto-research division for 11 months before heading for a personal trip to the US in mid-October.

The statement said that Yu, who is on a three-year contract with BAIC, is involved in the company's Computer-Aided Engineering (CAE) and auto-body design. Yu left Ford in early 2007 and was employed by Foxconn until October 2008.

The State-run company, whose vehicles include light-duty trucks and traveling vans, said in the statement, "BAIC respects intellectual property rights, stresses original research in the development of its brands and exhibited three concept auto designs during the Beijing International Auto Show in April 2008."

On Wednesday, US authorities arrested Yu, who worked as a product engineer at Ford from 1997 to early 2007, on charges of attempted theft of Ford's trade secrets and using them to get work with Chinese automotive companies, according to a report from Reuters on Monday.

Yu is accused of copying designs, including Ford's engine and transmission mounting subsystem, front and rear side door structure, steering-wheel assembly and instrument panel and console subsystem, according to the US indictment, Reuters said.

A report from the Associated Press on Thursday said that the 47-year-old Chinese engineer, also known as Mike Yu, who copied thousands of electronic documents before quitting Ford for a new job in China, was arrested at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport en route to China.

The FBI, which is in charge of the investigation, said it will continue to "aggressively pursue these cases," as it considers theft of trade secrets "a threat to national security."