China Chipmaker Fujian Jinhua Pleads Not Guilty to US Theft Charges

SHANGHAI—Chinese chipmaker Fujian Jinhua Integrated Circuit Co Ltd said on Jan. 10 it has pleaded not guilty to U.S. charges alleging that it stole trade secrets, in a case that has fanned tensions in the intensifying technology race between the two countries. The U.S. Justice Department in November announced an indictment against state-owned Fujian Jinhua and Taiwan-based United Microelectronics Corp (UMC), alleging they stole intellectual property from U.S.-based Micron Technology Inc . In October, U.S. authorities added the Chinese firm to a list of entities that cannot buy components, software or technology goods from U.S. firm, citing a “significant risk” that the Chinese firm’s new memory chip capacity will threaten the viability of American suppliers of such chips for military systems.

Fujian Jinhua said in a statement posted on its official microblog account that it would work towards getting itself removed from the U.S. export control entity list and had hired lobbyists and legal advisors to help with its case. The case has thrown a shadow over Fujian Jinhua’s semiconductor ambitions and Chinese regime’s plan to cut a heavy reliance on U.S. imports. The firm had billed itself as a national leader in the tech industry.

The Chinese regime is putting enormous pressure on Chinese companies to increase domestic production of core technologies, with the goal of achieving self-sufficiency and dominating global supply chains by 2025. The indictment was originally filed under seal in September by the U.S. district court of the Northern District of California. UMC previously said the case mirrored a similar complaint filed against it, and that it regretted the latest charges had been brought before being given a chance to discuss the matter. The ban on Fujian Jinhua is similar to a prior U.S. ban against Chinese telecoms firm, ZTE, in April.

ZTE was blocked from buying from U.S. suppliers, after the Commerce Department said the Chinese firm had failed to comply with stipulations, because of violations of U.S. sanctions placed on Iran and North Korea. The ban on ZTE, which almost put the company out of business, was eventually lifted in July after the firm agreed to pay a settlement fee of $1 billion. The ban on Fujian Jinhua has set a precedent—Chinese companies that have been accused of stealing trade secrets from the United States will likely soon face similar bans, according to an analysis by the Hong Kong Economic Times in an Oct. 30 article.

https://www.theepochtimes.com/china-chipmaker-fujian-jinhua-pleads-not-guilty-to-us-theft-charges_2762740.html

Michael Cohen to testify in public before House panel

Michael Cohen, the former personal lawyer and “fixer” for President Trump, will testify in an open setting before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee next month. The high-profile hearing is voluntary, and it will come come roughly a month before he heads to prison to serve a three-year prison sentence on March 6.

In December, Cohen was sentenced to three years in prison for his role in a hush-money scandal. Apologizing in federal court in Manhattan, he said he took “full responsibility for each act that I plead guilty to: the personal ones to me and those involving the President of the United States of America.” The sentence came after he was charged by both federal prosecutors in New York, as well as special counsel Robert Mueller. In August, Cohen first pleaded guilty to eight charges of bank and tax fraud, as well as campaign finance violations. In doing so, he implicated Trump. For those violations, he will serve 36 months. Then in November, Mueller’s office charged him in a separate case with lying to Congress, for which he will serve two months for pleading guilty to that single count. Cohen will serve the two sentences concurrently.

Cohen, 52, said Thursday that he will give “a full and credible account of the events that have transpired.” “In furtherance of my commitment to cooperate and provide the American people with answers, I have accepted the invitation by Chairman Elijah Cummings to appear publicly on February 7,” Cohen said in a statement. “I look forward to having the privilege of being afforded a platform with which to give a full and credible account of the events which have transpired.” It is not clear when Cummings formally issued an invitation to Cohen to testify.

On Thursday, Cummings said he was “in the process of consulting” with Mueller’s office, and the committee “will announce additional information in the coming weeks.” “I want to make clear that we have no interest in inappropriately interfering with any ongoing criminal investigations,” Cummings said in a statement. Cummings and other Democrats promised they would use their new oversight powers to investigate the White House and those associated with President Trump.

House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff, D-Calif., said he welcomes Cohen’s testimony before the Oversight panel, but that “[i]t will be necessary, however, for Mr. Cohen to answer questions pertaining to the Russia investigation, and we hope to schedule a closed session before our committee in the near future." It was also not immediately clear if Cohen will appear publicly or privately before any other congressional committees before the Feb. 7 hearing. The public testimony will likely enrage Trump, who has already called him a "rat" for cooperating with federal investigators, and sought to distance himself from the man who once said he would take a bullet for the president.

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/michael-cohen-to-testify-in-public-before-house-panel