Latest news with #Tian
American Military News
3 days ago
- Politics
- American Military News
China targeting US military members for spy operations, fmr. CIA chief warns
A former Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) station chief recently warned that U.S. military members and employees of the federal government are in the 'crosshairs' of China's spy operations as China tries to access information related to the U.S. military. Dan Hoffman, a former CIA station chief, told Fox News that China is likely targeting anyone in the U.S. military or the federal government to participate in various Chinese espionage operations. 'I think anybody who serves in the U.S. government is in the crosshairs. And China will do it,' Hoffman stated. 'Sometimes they'll run their recruitment operations posing as someone else. So maybe somebody doesn't want to go spy for China, but they might pretend to be somebody else. Or they might contact you on social media, on LinkedIn or some other site and pose as someone not so nefarious when in fact they are.' The former CIA station chief told Fox News that one of the Chinese government's 'highest requirement' is acquiring intelligence from the U.S. military. 'They want to recruit U.S. military because there's a probability we might go to war with China, and not just U.S. military, but NATO members as well, and throughout Asia,' Hoffman said. 'So they've got a massive intelligence apparatus.' READ MORE: Chinese naval activity increases in the Pacific: Report In March, the Department of Justice announced that two active-duty U.S. Army soldiers, identified as Jian Zhao and Li Tian, and one former U.S. Army soldier, identified as Ruoyu Duan, had been arrested and charged for allegedly selling secret military information to China. According to the Department of Justice, Tian and Duan were charged for conspiring to commit bribery and theft of government property, and Zhao was charged for conspiring to obtain and transmit national defense information to an individual not authorized to receive the information, for theft of government property, and for bribery. Fox News reported that prosecutors said the espionage efforts involving Tian, Duan, and Zhao reflect China's use of individuals trusted by Chinese intelligence organizations to obtain information that could benefit the Chinese government. According to Fox News, those individuals, known as 'cut-outs,' are then used to recruit people with access to sensitive U.S. government information. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director Kash Patel previously addressed China's espionage operations, saying, 'While bribery and corruption have thrived under China's Communist Party, this behavior cannot be tolerated with our service members who are entrusted with sensitive military information, including national defense information. The FBI and our partners will continue to work to uncover attempts by those in China to steal sensitive U.S. military information and hold all accountable who play a role in betraying our national defense.'
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
China targets US military members in overseas spy operations, former CIA station chief warns
A former CIA station chief says China has U.S. military service members and government employees in the "crosshairs" of its overseas spy operations. Jian Zhao and Li Tian, both active-duty Army soldiers, were arrested in early March after allegedly selling "Top Secret" information to individuals based in China, according to the Department of Justice. Zhao and Tian were both indicted by federal grand juries in Washington and Oregon. Federal prosecutors allege Tian sold sensitive military information to former soldier Ruoyu Duan, who would allegedly receive money from individuals residing in China. Tian then allegedly received tens of thousands of dollars for selling the sensitive information. Included in the alleged documents Tian sold was a Google Drive link containing classified documents about the Stryker combat vehicle. Tian also allegedly sent additional sensitive data on U.S. weapons systems. Bombshell Report Suggests 'Chinese Spies' Infiltrating Prestigious Us University: 'Widespread Campaign' Prosecutors said the incidents highlight efforts by China to use "cut-outs," known as people trusted by Chinese intelligence services, to gather sensitive information that could help the Chinese government. Those "cut-outs" then recruit individuals with access to or knowledge of U.S. government information, which includes current and former government officials. Read On The Fox News App According to the court documents, security video showed Tian allegedly brought his personal cellphone into a classified area of Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington in May 2024, printed a classified document and left with it. He would allegedly return over three hours later with the document. Prosecutors also alleged that Tian took screenshots of sensitive information on several occasions. In a connected case at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Zhao allegedly sold classified information to an unnamed co-conspirator. According to federal prosecutors, Zhao received at least $15,000 for the documents. Zhao allegedly sold 20 military hard drives to an individual in China, some containing a "Secret" label. Zaho allegedly conspired to sell information related to the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System as well as information related to U.S. military readiness if there was a war with China. "While bribery and corruption have thrived under China's Communist Party, this behavior cannot be tolerated with our service members who are entrusted with sensitive military information, including national defense information," said FBI Director Kash Patel on the charges. Former CIA station chief Dan Hoffman told Fox News Digital he thinks U.S. military service members as well as government employees are being targeted to take part in these spy operations. Former Us Army Intelligence Analyst Sentenced For Selling Sensitive Documents To Chinese National "I think anybody who serves in the U.S. government is in the crosshairs. And China will do it," Hoffman said. "Sometimes they'll run their recruitment operations posing as someone else. So maybe somebody doesn't want to go spy for China, but they might pretend to be somebody else. Or they might contact you on social media, on LinkedIn or some other site and pose as someone not so nefarious when in fact they are." Hoffman said gaining intel from the U.S. military is one of the Chinese government's "highest requirements." "They want to recruit U.S. military because there's a probability we might go to war with China, and not just U.S. military, but NATO members as well, and throughout Asia. So they've got a massive intelligence apparatus," he said. China isn't just targeting the U.S. military. It's targeting many other aspects of American society as well, including academia. Five former University of Michigan students were charged in October 2024 after they were allegedly caught spying on a National Guard training center for the Chinese government during a training session with the Taiwanese military. The former University of Michigan students were confronted by a Utah National Guard sergeant major in August 2023 near a lake at Camp Grayling in Michigan. Michael Sobolik, a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute focusing on U.S. and China relations, told Fox News Digital the Chinese Communist Party "will exercise whatever tactics they feel they need to by hook or crook to get our military secrets," adding China is "shameless." "This is a tactic that China is exercising in the new Cold War that we're locked in with the Chinese Communist Party. And one of the things that is really striking is the low price that a lot of Americans are willing to sell their patriotism for and their allegiance for. Some of these people didn't get that much money to sell some really sensitive military secrets over to the Chinese Communist Party," Sobolik said. Fox News' Michael Dorgan contributed to this article source: China targets US military members in overseas spy operations, former CIA station chief warns
Sydney Morning Herald
5 days ago
- Business
- Sydney Morning Herald
Who's the breadwinner? In Perth, it's probably your house
Perth is the only place in Australia where houses earned more than people, with average prices surging by $95,022 over the past year – climbing from $812,482 to $907,504. Ray White Group senior data analyst Atom Go Tian said Perth residents seemed to have the best of both worlds. 'Not only do they earn the second-highest annual income across the country, but their houses made the biggest gains in the last 12 months,' he said. 'Even Canberra with annual incomes of $93,351 couldn't match what Perth houses made.' Tian said in Adelaide it was neck and neck with both annual personal income and house price growth sitting at just over $63,000. Brisbane homeowners were just keeping their noses in front, earning roughly $2000 more than their houses appreciated. 'However, the gap widens from here with Melbourne and Canberra having the greatest disparity between personal income and house price growth,' he said. 'Melburnians made 5.5 times more than their properties, while Canberrans pulled in five times what their houses did.' At a suburb level Perth dominated the list of suburbs where houses earn more than people. Carabooda-Pinjar, which has a median house price of $1.58 million, recorded the largest difference between annual house price gain and income with a net positive increase of $95,272. It was closely followed by Nedlands-Dalkeith-Crawley ($93,000), City Beach ($80,514) and Claremont ($63,293). 'Even among Perth's strongest performers, house prices remain relatively accessible compared to Sydney and Melbourne,' Tian said.
The Age
5 days ago
- Business
- The Age
Who's the breadwinner? In Perth, it's probably your house
Perth is the only place in Australia where houses earned more than people, with average prices surging by $95,022 over the past year – climbing from $812,482 to $907,504. Ray White Group senior data analyst Atom Go Tian said Perth residents seemed to have the best of both worlds. 'Not only do they earn the second-highest annual income across the country, but their houses made the biggest gains in the last 12 months,' he said. 'Even Canberra with annual incomes of $93,351 couldn't match what Perth houses made.' Tian said in Adelaide it was neck and neck with both annual personal income and house price growth sitting at just over $63,000. Brisbane homeowners were just keeping their noses in front, earning roughly $2000 more than their houses appreciated. 'However, the gap widens from here with Melbourne and Canberra having the greatest disparity between personal income and house price growth,' he said. 'Melburnians made 5.5 times more than their properties, while Canberrans pulled in five times what their houses did.' At a suburb level Perth dominated the list of suburbs where houses earn more than people. Carabooda-Pinjar, which has a median house price of $1.58 million, recorded the largest difference between annual house price gain and income with a net positive increase of $95,272. It was closely followed by Nedlands-Dalkeith-Crawley ($93,000), City Beach ($80,514) and Claremont ($63,293). 'Even among Perth's strongest performers, house prices remain relatively accessible compared to Sydney and Melbourne,' Tian said.
The Star
16-05-2025
- The Star
Chinese man subdues thief in Spain, highlights trend of mainlanders tackling criminals abroad
A Chinese man has gained widespread attention online after subduing a thief with a rear chokehold on a Spanish street. Tian, a photographer originally from Shandong province in eastern China, has been living in Spain for 10 years and works for a company in Barcelona. On April 29, while filming on the street, Tian was approached by a man holding his colleague's phone. The stranger tapped him on the shoulder and asked if it was his. Do you have questions about the biggest topics and trends from around the world? Get the answers with SCMP Knowledge, our new platform of curated content with explainers, FAQs, analyses and infographics brought to you by our award-winning team. 'When I reached for the phone, he would not let go. He was stalling so his partner could grab my gear which was nearby,' Tian said. Moments later, an accomplice made off with a camera and stabiliser worth more than 5,000 euros (US$5,600). Worried about losing important footage, Tian chased the man down and put him in a rear chokehold. 'After a few seconds, he passed out from lack of oxygen. I loosened up to let him breathe, and he started apologising, saying he felt dizzy,' said Tian. During the scuffle, his colleagues recovered the stolen equipment. In a now viral video, Tian can be heard warning the thief: 'Relax. If you struggle, I will squeeze harder.' The hold lasted about two minutes before the police arrived. Tian then let go. Officers helped the shaken thief to a nearby flower bed, where he was seen crying and gasping for air. Onlookers broke into applause, cheering Tian for his swift and courageous actions. Tian told the mainland media that he has trained in kickboxing and holds the highest black belt rank in taekwondo. 'We Chinese do not seek trouble, but we are not afraid of it either,' he added. Many netizens messaged Tian asking how to perform a rear chokehold. Tian urged caution. 'Do not use martial arts lightly, especially abroad. You never know if someone might be armed,' he said. While Barcelona is known for its beautiful architecture and coastal charm, it has also earned the title of Europe's 'pickpocketing capital'. According to Carpe Diem Tours, nearly half of reported crimes there in 2023 were pickpocketing, mostly in tourist-heavy areas. Tian offered safety tips for travellers heading to Barcelona, avoid deserted spots, do not carry large amounts of cash, skip flashy designer logos, and set your credit cards to require a password. 'If you spot a thief, shout. Passers-by will always help,' he said. Tian's story has captivated mainland social media, with related topics attracting more than 30 million views. One netizen wrote: 'Tian is smart and brave. He is the true pride of China.' Stories of Chinese people catching thieves in Europe have become a trending topic online. In March, three students from China chased a phone thief for 800 metres in Italy, earning widespread praise for their bravery. Meanwhile, a 'European Pickpocket Map' created by Chinese international students is making the rounds on mainland social media platforms. It features photos of suspected thieves and crowdsourced antitheft advice. More from South China Morning Post: For the latest news from the South China Morning Post download our mobile app. Copyright 2025.
