Chinese Spy Attempting to Steal US Aircraft Secrets Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison

Arrested in Belgium in 2018 and Extradited to the US
Chinese Industrial Spies Continually Discovered... "About Twice a Day"

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] A U.S. court sentenced a Chinese national accused of attempting to steal aviation industry technology to 20 years in prison. The Chinese individual was arrested in Belgium and extradited to the United States, and the Chinese government is protesting, claiming the charges are fabricated.

According to the Associated Press on the 16th (local time), a U.S. court sentenced Xu Yanjun (42), affiliated with China's Ministry of State Security, to 20 years in prison for charges of unauthorized theft of aviation industry technology. Xu was arrested in Belgium in 2018 and extradited to the U.S., and in November last year, a jury at the U.S. District Court in Cincinnati, Ohio, found him guilty.

This is the first time a Chinese national accused of industrial espionage has been extradited from a third country and stood trial in a U.S. court. The prosecution had sought a 25-year sentence. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) reported that between 2013 and 2018, he used aliases and created shell companies to contact several U.S. aerospace-related companies, including GE Aviation, a subsidiary of General Electric.

U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland stated, "Today's sentence demonstrates the seriousness of these crimes and our determination to investigate and punish attempts by the Chinese government or other foreign powers to threaten our economy and national security."

As the number of Chinese industrial spies continues to rise, diplomatic tensions between the U.S. and China are expected to intensify. Earlier, FBI Director Christopher Wray noted, "We handle new counterintelligence cases related to China about twice a day," pointing out the continuous increase in Chinese espionage activities.

The Chinese government has protested, denying the charges. Since the guilty verdict last year, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs has criticized the U.S. government, stating, "His charges are completely fabricated."