TAIPEI, Aug 7 (Reuters) - Taiwan authorities said on

Thursday they were investigating 16 Chinese companies for

allegedly poaching semiconductor and other high-tech talent,

amid growing concerns over technology outflows.

More than 300 agents searched 70 locations and questioned

120 people between July 15 and August 6, the Taiwan

Investigation Bureau said, in coordinated raids on Chinese firms

suspected of illegally recruiting engineers and operating

unlicensed offices in Taiwan.

Beijing claims democratically governed Taiwan as its own

territory and has never renounced the use of force to bring the

island under its control. Taiwan strongly objects to China's

sovereignty claims and says only the island's people can decide

their future.

The Chinese companies under investigation include prominent

players in semiconductors, chip design, and electronics

manufacturing.

Listed Chinese tech firms named in the probe include Goertek

, Shenzhen-listed Victory Giant Technology

, which supplies Nvidia ( NVDA ) and is a top PCB

maker, NOVOSENSE Microelectronics, and VNET Group ( VNET )

, a Nasdaq-listed Chinese data centre firm.

The companies did not immediately respond to Reuters'

requests for comment. China's Taiwan Affairs Office did not

immediately respond to a request for comment.

China's scramble for chip talent and expertise has

intensified as Beijing pushes for self-reliance in advanced

semiconductors, amid a deepening tech rivalry with the U.S.

Taiwanese law prohibits Chinese investment in some parts

of the semiconductor supply chain, including chip design, and

requires reviews for other areas such as chip packaging, making

it difficult for Chinese chip companies to operate on the island

legally.

The investigation bureau said Chinese firms had long

targeted Taiwan's high-tech workforce through covert methods,

including operating without regulatory approval, using shell

companies registered in Hong Kong or foreign entities, or

dispatching staff through local hiring agencies to conceal their

identities.

"These companies operated in Taiwan without approval from

our authorities, illegally conducting business and poaching our

high-tech talent," said Ya-Chun Ku, one of the investigators.

"We will continue to pursue such cases to prevent Chinese

firms from unlawfully recruiting talent or operating in Taiwan,

and to effectively safeguard Taiwan's global advantage in the

high-tech industry," she added.

A special task force has handled more than 100 such

cases since late 2020.

"The semiconductor and IC design sectors are the backbone of

Taiwan's economic strength, but in recent years have become key

targets for Chinese talent-poaching efforts," the bureau said in

a statement.