The FBI accused China of working on behalf of the Ministry of National Security to gather naval intelligence.
The US Department of Justice has filed claims that two Chinese people were trying to spy and recruit from within the country’s military department.
According to a statement on Tuesday, Yuance Chen and Liren “Ryan” Lai, 39, are accused of working on behalf of China’s Foreign Intelligence Department of State and Safety (MSS), accused of working on behalf of China’s foreign intelligence reporting division.
The pair are said to have carried out a variety of “secret intelligence tasks,” including promoting payments in exchange for national security information, gathering information about naval bases, and attempting to adopt MSS assets.
“This incident underscores the sustainable and proactive efforts of the Chinese government to infiltrate our military and undermine national security from within,” Attorney General Pamela Bondi said.
According to the FBI affidavit, LAI was part of the MSS network that “makes easier travel” between China and the United States, and was to “promote secret operations.”
From around 2021 he began to raise the development of Chen, a legal permanent resident, into his assets.
After confirming that Chen knows the people of the US military, Lai urged him to travel abroad to discuss his connections directly, and even offered to pay the ticket, according to the affidavit.
The man reportedly met with an MSS agent, and in 2022 they left a backpack in a California locker with $10,000 in cash as a payment to other individuals for an intelligence gathering.
Over the next few years, the affidavit says that Chen gathered information about the Navy and sent it to LAI, while also discussing direct recruitment efforts with MSS.
Some of that information included personal information from Navy employees. In one case, Chen traveled to San Diego, California, met with Navy employers and toured the aircraft airline USS Abraham Lincoln.
The photos included in the affidavit show the visitor’s badge and posing with the employee and their children on the deck of the aircraft carrier.
The FBI says such interactions are part of China’s campaign to expand the scope of the military.
“PRC [People’s Republic of China] The government is seeking the capabilities of the Blue Water Navy as part of its efforts to modernize the navy and establish hegemony in the South China Sea,” the affidavit reads.
“Blue water capacity” generally refers to long distance maritime efforts, as opposed to operations close to domestic coasts.
“So the PRC government has adopted and deployed the MSS, secretly targeting the US Navy and gathering intelligence reports,” the affidavit continues.
Both men were charged under the Foreign Agent Registration Act, namely Farah.
In recent years, the US government has stepped up its use of law in its efforts to combat alleged spying in China.
Beijing usually denied such claims and denounced the United States with discriminatory tactics.
“These accusations reflect the extent of efforts made by foreign enemies targeting the United States,” US lawyer Craig H. Misakian said in a statement from the Department of Justice.
“We will continue to investigate and prosecute CounterSpion to disrupt attempts to undermine national security, no matter how complex and sensitive they may be.”
