Eric Patrick
The U.S. Department of Justice has announced the arrest of two Chinese nationals accused of engaging in espionage and attempting to recruit U.S. Navy personnel as intelligence assets for the Chinese government.
The suspects, 38-year-old Yuance Chen of Happy Valley, Oregon, and 39-year-old Liren Lai, who entered the U.S. on a tourist visa in April and was residing in Houston, Texas, were taken into custody by FBI agents on Friday.
Both men have been charged with acting as unregistered agents of the Chinese government, a federal offense that carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison if convicted.
According to a criminal complaint filed in the case, Chen and Lai conducted various intelligence-gathering activities on behalf of China’s Ministry of State Security (MSS).
These activities reportedly included attempts to recruit U.S. Navy personnel and offering cash payments in exchange for sensitive national security information.
This case underscores the Chinese government’s sustained and aggressive effort to infiltrate our military and undermine national security from within U.S. Attorney General Pamela Bondi said in a statement released Tuesday.
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The complaint also revealed that Lai allegedly recruited Chen, who is a legal permanent resident of the U.S., in 2021 to begin working for the MSS.
In response to the arrests, China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs pushed back against the allegations.
Speaking on Wednesday, ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said Beijing opposes the hyping up of so-called Chinese spies, and pledged that China would take necessary measures to safeguard the lawful rights and interests of Chinese citizens.
The arrests come amid ongoing tensions between Washington and Beijing over issues ranging from cyber-espionage to military strategy in the Indo-Pacific.