In America, Two Chinese Nationals Reportedly Arrested for Espionage.
Chinese and US flags wave outside a technology company in Beijing, on April 17, 2025. China told Washington on April 16 to "stop threatening and blackmailing" after US President Donald Trump said it was up to Beijing to come to the negotiating table to discuss ending their trade war. Trump has slapped new tariffs on friend and foe but has reserved his heaviest blows for China, with 145 percent on many Chinese imports even as Beijing has retaliated with levies on US goods of 125 percent. (Photo by Pedro PardTwo Chinese nationals have been arrested for espionage and for allegedly seeking to recruit members of the US Navy to serve as intelligence assets, the Justice Department said Tuesday.
Yuance Chen, 38, and Liren Lai, 39, face charges of acting as agents of the Chinese government and a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison if convicted, the department said.
Chen, a resident of Happy Valley, Oregon, and Lai, who arrived in Houston, Texas, in April on a tourist visa, were arrested by the FBI on Friday, it said.
According to a criminal complaint, Chen and Lai carried out a number of intelligence activities in the United States on behalf of China’s Ministry of State Security.
