US charges six Chinese nationals with stealing mobile phone technology

The United States has charged six Chinese nationals with the alleged theft of technology used in mobile phones.

The six, including three university professors, are believed to have used the technology to benefit universities and companies controlled by Beijing, reports the BBC.

While one of the accused, Tianjin University professor Hao Zhang, has been arrested, the rest are believed to be in China.

A U.S. Justice Department indictment said that the scheme began more than a decade ago.

Chinese economic espionage has long been a concern for the U.S.