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A Chinese IT worker who has long arrived in the United States and obtained citizenship there has been charged with more than 10 years of espionage activities in the state security service of the KND. As part of the fight against the "Chinese threat", he faces a 15-year prison term.
US Department of Justice Statement
A US citizen, an immigrant from China, Ping Li from Wesleyan Chapel (Florida), the US Department of Justice (DoJ) has been charged with espionage in the interests of the People's Republic of China (PRC), according to a press release published on its official website.
Ping Li, 59, was allegedly an agent of the Chinese Ministry of State Security (MGB) for more than 10 years.
"Since 2012, Li allegedly served as a contact person, working on the instructions of the MGB officers in order to obtain information of interest to the Chinese government," the Ministry of Justice said.
If found guilty, Lee faces a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison. The FBI is investigating.
A lot of accusations, little specifics
Representatives of the Ministry of Justice listed at least six charges. Lee, in particular, is charged with providing in 2012, at the request of the MGB, the biographical data of a person living in St. Petersburg (Florida) and associated with the Falun Gong religious movement. This movement is banned in China, and its ideas are considered subversive. Lee's victim was described by U.S. prosecutors as a " supporter of democracy in the United States."
In March 2015, according to the indictment, Li provided MGB officers with information about branches that his employer, a large American telecommunications company, had opened in China. The indictment does not disclose the nature of the information or the name of the telecommunications company. And in March 2017, an employee of the MGB, as prosecutors found out, requested and received training instructions from Lee from another of his employers — also an unnamed international IT company.
The indictment also includes the transfer of information about hacking attacks on American companies to China in May 2021. No details are given about this "crime", it is only said that the attacks were carried out by the"Chinese government".
In March 2022, an MGB employee allegedly received materials from Lee's new employer regarding cybersecurity training. In June 2022, Li allegedly gave the address of residence in the United States to a man who had fled there from the PRC.
General phrases about the Chinese threat
The list of charges, for which almost no specifics are given, is preceded by general phrases describing the activity of Chinese state security agencies: "The Ministry of State Security of the People's Republic of China is responsible for collecting civilian intelligence for the People's Republic of China. The MGB often uses "cooperation contacts" located in countries outside the PRC to achieve its intelligence objectives, which include obtaining information related to foreign corporate or industrial matters, foreign politicians or intelligence officials, and information about Chinese political dissidents residing in these countries. These joint contacts provide assistance to the MGB in various ways, including by conducting research on topics of interest to the PRC, which can be used to further fulfill the mission of the MGB."
There is a lot of talk in the United States about the"Chinese threat." Back in 2003, the FBI claimed that China founded more than 3 thousand companies in the United States, in reality engaged only in espionage, and that thousands of Chinese who arrive in the United States annually solve, among other things, the intelligence tasks assigned to them by the state. According to the FBI, Chinese espionage in the next ten to fifteen years should be the main headache for American counterintelligence.
US Department of Justice Statement
A US citizen, an immigrant from China, Ping Li from Wesleyan Chapel (Florida), the US Department of Justice (DoJ) has been charged with espionage in the interests of the People's Republic of China (PRC), according to a press release published on its official website.
Ping Li, 59, was allegedly an agent of the Chinese Ministry of State Security (MGB) for more than 10 years.
"Since 2012, Li allegedly served as a contact person, working on the instructions of the MGB officers in order to obtain information of interest to the Chinese government," the Ministry of Justice said.
If found guilty, Lee faces a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison. The FBI is investigating.
A lot of accusations, little specifics
Representatives of the Ministry of Justice listed at least six charges. Lee, in particular, is charged with providing in 2012, at the request of the MGB, the biographical data of a person living in St. Petersburg (Florida) and associated with the Falun Gong religious movement. This movement is banned in China, and its ideas are considered subversive. Lee's victim was described by U.S. prosecutors as a " supporter of democracy in the United States."
In March 2015, according to the indictment, Li provided MGB officers with information about branches that his employer, a large American telecommunications company, had opened in China. The indictment does not disclose the nature of the information or the name of the telecommunications company. And in March 2017, an employee of the MGB, as prosecutors found out, requested and received training instructions from Lee from another of his employers — also an unnamed international IT company.
The indictment also includes the transfer of information about hacking attacks on American companies to China in May 2021. No details are given about this "crime", it is only said that the attacks were carried out by the"Chinese government".
In March 2022, an MGB employee allegedly received materials from Lee's new employer regarding cybersecurity training. In June 2022, Li allegedly gave the address of residence in the United States to a man who had fled there from the PRC.
General phrases about the Chinese threat
The list of charges, for which almost no specifics are given, is preceded by general phrases describing the activity of Chinese state security agencies: "The Ministry of State Security of the People's Republic of China is responsible for collecting civilian intelligence for the People's Republic of China. The MGB often uses "cooperation contacts" located in countries outside the PRC to achieve its intelligence objectives, which include obtaining information related to foreign corporate or industrial matters, foreign politicians or intelligence officials, and information about Chinese political dissidents residing in these countries. These joint contacts provide assistance to the MGB in various ways, including by conducting research on topics of interest to the PRC, which can be used to further fulfill the mission of the MGB."
There is a lot of talk in the United States about the"Chinese threat." Back in 2003, the FBI claimed that China founded more than 3 thousand companies in the United States, in reality engaged only in espionage, and that thousands of Chinese who arrive in the United States annually solve, among other things, the intelligence tasks assigned to them by the state. According to the FBI, Chinese espionage in the next ten to fifteen years should be the main headache for American counterintelligence.
