Taiwan issues arrest warrant for OnePlus CEO Pete Lau

Taiwan prosecutors have issued an arrest warrant for the chief executive officer CEO of Chinese smartphone maker OnePlus, alleging he was involved in illegal business and recruitment activities in Taiwan.

Taiwan’s Shilin District Prosecutors Office said in a document it had indicted two Taiwanese citizens for helping OnePlus CEO Pete Lau illegally operate a business and recruit more than 70 employees in Taiwan.

The allegations fall under Taiwanese law governing relations with China and the document, dated November 2025, was first reported by Taiwan local media on Tuesday, January 13, 2026.

Taiwanese officials claim these actions by OnePlus violated the Cross-Strait Act, which is designed as a guide for relations between Taiwan and mainland China, reports Bloomberg.

One of the act’s provisions requires Chinese companies to obtain permission from the Taiwanese government to hire workers from Taiwan.

The prosecutors said over 70 employees were hired in Taiwan to conduct smartphone software application research and development, verification and testing for the Chinese smartphone maker.

Members of the Shilin District Prosecutors Office claim that OnePlus reportedly set up a shell company in Hong Kong with a distinct name, then launched a branch in Taiwan in 2015 without government approval.

Prosecutors claimed that the branch reportedly worked on research and development for OnePlus mobile phones.

As per the website, OnePlus is headquartered in the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen. It became an independent sub-brand under Oppo in 2021.

Additionally, Oppo and OnePlus did not immediately respond to the recent claims by Taiwan.