Two Chinese nationals have been arrested for espionage and allegedly attempting to recruit members of the United States Navy to serve as intelligence assets, the US Department of Justice announced on Tuesday, July 1.
The suspects, identified as Yuance Chen, 38, and Liren Lai, 39, are charged with acting as agents of the Chinese government without notifying the US Attorney General as required by law. If convicted, they each face a maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison.
Chen, a resident of Happy Valley, Oregon, and Lai, who entered the country on a tourist visa in April and was staying in Houston, Texas, were both arrested by FBI agents on Friday.
According to a criminal complaint filed in the case, both men are accused of conducting intelligence operations in the United States on behalf of China’s Ministry of State Security (MSS), including offering cash payments for sensitive national security information and attempting to recruit US Navy personnel as potential assets.
“This case underscores the Chinese government’s sustained and aggressive effort to infiltrate our military and undermine our national security from within,” Attorney General Pamela Bondi said in a statement.
The complaint further alleges that Lai was the initial point of contact for the MSS and that he recruited Chen, a lawful permanent resident of the United States, to begin working with the ministry in 2021. The pair allegedly coordinated efforts to identify and approach US Navy members with access to classified information, offering financial incentives in exchange for cooperation.
The arrests come amid heightened tensions over foreign espionage activities targeting US institutions, particularly from China, and follow other high-profile cases of alleged spying and security breaches.
