ALBAWABA - A United States court sentenced a Chinese man to eight years in prison after it found him guilty of spying for his country's government.
The verdict and sentencing were handed down against the electrical engineer, Ji Chaoqun, 31, on Wednesday.
The Chinese man was detained in 2018 for allegedly leaking information about eight Americans, described as collaborators with the defense sector in the U.S., he sought to recruit.
Chinese engineer jailed for spying in US https://t.co/h50rjylHOw
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The engineer entered America on a student visa more than 10 years ago. He studied at the Illinois Institute of Technology in 2013, before joining the U.S. Army Reserve.
Under the Vital Military Admission, the National Interest Program of the U.S. Army Reserve allows the enlistment of certain foreigners whose skills are vital to the national interest.
Although he denied any connection with the Chinese authorities, he was charged with transferring information to Beijing about some scholars and experts involved in aerospace and satellite technology, some of whom are naturalized American citizens of Chinese or Taiwanese extraction.
According to U.S. authorities, the convicted Chinese man was receiving orders from the government in Beijing, specifically an intelligence officer identified as Xu Yangun.
In November, a U.S. court sentenced Yangun to 20 years in jail for attempting to steal trade secrets. He was the first Chinese government intelligence officer to be extradited to the U.S. for trial.
The case brings back old cases linked to China's efforts to steal aviation trade secrets at a time when Sino-U.S. relations are extremely tense.
U.S. officials have previously stated that China is ready to make every effort to steal American technology, and the intelligence services have warned of the danger of carrying out this matter.
According to circulating information, 24 people were arrested in 2019 on suspicion of involvement in China's attempts to steal American technology, while the number of those arrested on the same charge at the beginning of 2020 reached 19.
