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By Nick Mordowanec and Hollie Silverman
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Two Chinese Nationals are facing charges in connection with spying on the United States Navy and members of the Navy on behalf of the Ministry of State Security (MSS) for the People's Republic of China's government, Fox News reported on Tuesday.
"Adverse foreign intelligence services like the PRC's Ministry of State Security dedicate years to recruiting individuals and cultivating them as intelligence assets to do their bidding within the United States," Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg told Newsweek in a statement.
"Under my leadership, the National Security Division will continue to defend our nation and neutralize our adversaries' clandestine spy networks."
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The FBI declined to comment when contacted by Newsweek.
Why It Matters
American concerns about Chinese nationals spying on the U.S. or coming in illegally with nefarious objectives are not new. Last year, a Chinese national was apprehended after illegally entering the U.S. and accessing a Marine base in the El Centro Sector of California without authorization.
Last month, two Chinese nationals were arrested and charged with conspiracy, smuggling goods into the country, false statements, and visa fraud after allegedly smuggling in a fungus described as a "potential agroterrorism weapon."
What To Know
The men, Yuance Chen of Happy Valley, Oregon, and Liren Lai, who was staying in Houston on a tourist visa, were both arrested for their roles in the intelligence scheme, the report stated. They are also accused of recruiting military members in their efforts to obtain intelligence.
The report said the men facilitated a "dead drop" cash payment for the MSS.
"The individuals charged were acting on behalf of a hostile foreign intelligence service — part of the Chinese Communist Party's broader effort to infiltrate and undermine our institutions," FBI Director Kash Patel told Fox News, adding, "Thanks to outstanding coordination with our partners, including NCIS, we disrupted those efforts and sent a clear message: the United States will not tolerate espionage on American soil. Our counterintelligence operations remain focused, vigilant, and relentless."
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What People Are Saying
FBI Director Kash Patel said last month at the National Sheriffs' Association Conference: "The [Chinese Communist Party] is the adversary of our time, and anyone that says otherwise is being selfish or lying to you, or looking for financial gain...They are smart. They are partnering up with the Mexican drug cartels, with the Russians, with every adversary we have and saying, 'Look, we don't really like each other but we hate America. So, why don't we team up?'"
What Happens Next
Lawmakers including Republican Senator Joni Ernst and Secretary of State Marco Rubio (when he was a U.S. senator) were among roughly three dozen members of Congress who last year requested visa changes through the Department of Homeland Security due to concerns of Chinese nationals' ability to enter U.S. territories like Guam through the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands without proper B-1 (business) or B-2 (tourism) visas.
Update 7/1/25, 12:44 p.m. ET: This story was updated with additional information and a statement from Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg.
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