According to a report by Bloomberg, Taiwanese authorities have issued an arrest warrant against Pete Lau (Liu Zuohu), the founder and CEO of OnePlus. The move comes as part of a broader investigation into alleged illegal recruitment and unauthorised business operations by Chinese technology companies in Taiwan.
The warrant was reportedly issued between January 13 and 14, 2026, following an investigation led by prosecutors from the Shilin District Prosecutors’ Office.
Bloomberg reports that, according to Taiwan’s Shilin District Prosecutors’ Office, Lau is accused of illegally recruiting more than 70 Taiwanese software engineers since 2014, allegedly bypassing Taiwan’s legal framework that governs cross-strait business activities.
Prosecutors claim that OnePlus used a Hong Kong-registered shell company, Soundna Consulting Co., to set up a Taiwan branch in 2015 without obtaining official government approval. Authorities believe this structure was deliberately used to avoid regulatory scrutiny.
These actions are said to violate Taiwan’s Act Governing Relations Between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area (commonly known as the Cross-Strait Act), which restricts Chinese companies from operating in Taiwan or hiring Taiwanese nationals without explicit authorisation.
Investigators further allege that the Taiwan-based team was involved in R&D, verification, and testing work for OnePlus and Oppo smartphones, with operations allegedly being directed from OnePlus’ headquarters in Shenzhen, rather than functioning as an independent local entity.
Two Taiwanese nationals, identified as former employees who allegedly helped facilitate these operations, have already been indicted by prosecutors.
OnePlus has responded by stating that its current business operations remain unaffected by the investigation. However, Pete Lau did not issue any statement when contacted by Bloomberg for comment.
