US charges Chinese individual over trade secret theft and espionage
A Chinese Ministry of State Security (MSS) operative has been charged with economic espionage and stealing trade secrets from US aviation companies, it has been revealed.
The US Department of Justice (DoJ) unsealed the charges against the operative, Yanjun Xu, yesterday, October 10, after he was extradited from Belgium the day before.
Xu was arrested in Belgium on April 1 following a federal complaint. He was then indicted by a federal grand jury in the Southern District of Ohio. The DoJ announced yesterday that he has been charged with conspiring and attempting to commit economic espionage and theft of trade secrets.
Assistant attorney general for national security, John Demers, said that this is not an isolated incident. “It is part of an overall economic policy of developing China at American expense,” he claimed.
“We cannot tolerate a nation’s stealing our firepower and the fruits of our brainpower. We will not tolerate a nation that reaps what it does not sow.”
The MSS is the intelligence and security agency for China. Its responsibilities include counter-intelligence, foreign intelligence and political security. According to the DoJ, the organisation has the power to conduct espionage both domestically and internationally.
US attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, Benjamin Glassman, added that innovation in aviation has played an important role in the US since the Wright brothers invented the world’s first successful aeroplane.
“US aerospace companies invest decades of time and billions of dollars in research,” said Glassman.
“In contrast, according to the indictment, a Chinese intelligence officer tried to acquire that same, hard-earned innovation through theft,” he added. “This case shows that federal law enforcement authorities cannot only detect and disrupt such espionage, but can also catch its perpetrators.”
Xu will now face trial in federal court in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Did you enjoy reading this story? Sign up to our free daily newsletters and get stories like this sent straight to your inbox.
Today's top stories
USPTO confirms that Phillips rule will replace BRI standard
EU court sides with German tape manufacturer in TM opposition
Already registered?
Login to your account
If you don't have a login or your access has expired, you will need to purchase a subscription to gain access to this article, including all our online content.
For more information on individual annual subscriptions for full paid access and corporate subscription options please contact us.
To request a FREE 2-week trial subscription, please signup.
NOTE - this can take up to 48hrs to be approved.
For multi-user price options, or to check if your company has an existing subscription that we can add you to for FREE, please email Adrian Tapping at atapping@newtonmedia.co.uk