Latest news with #YuanceChen
Mint
3 hours ago
- Mint
Beijing flags ‘hyping' so-called ‘Chinese spies' narrative after Trump administration arrests two on espionage charge
Beijing has made it clear that it opposes 'hyping up the so-called Chinese spies narrative' after two Chinese nationals were arrested in the US for espionage. Foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning, speaking to the media post the arrests on Wednesday, said that she was not aware of the specifics but opposes hyping up this narrative. The foreign ministry spokesperson further said that China will take necessary measures to keep its nationals abroad safe. 'I am not aware of the specifics, but China always opposes hyping up the so-called 'Chinese spies' narrative, and will take necessary measures to safeguard legitimate rights and interests of Chinese nationals abroad,' Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning told reporters when asked about the arrests. Two Chinese nationals were arrested by the FBI last Friday, and prosecutors have charged them with acting as agents of China's security service. The arrested Chinese nationals have been identified as Yuance Chen, 38, a legal permanent resident living in Happy Valley, Oregon, and Liren 'Ryan' Lai, 39, who arrived in Houston from China in April on a tourist visa. US prosecutors have accused both persons of gathering information about US Navy bases and trying to identify Navy members who are willing to spy for China, the Justice Department said on Tuesday. In a statement, the department said that the duo worked on behalf of China's Ministry of State Security (MSS). The suspects have been accused of facilitating a 'dead-drop payment' of at least $10,000 in a locker at a recreational facility in Northern California in 2022 in exchange for national security information of the US. This information has already been passed to China, it added. The Justice Department said the accused made their initial appearances in federal court in Houston and Portland, Oregon, on Monday. After the 2022 incident, the pair 'continued to work on behalf of the MSS, including to help identify potential assets for MSS recruitment within the ranks of the US Navy', it said. The department, however, did not reveal any details on who provided the national security information or the military members targeted for recruitment.
News18
7 hours ago
- Politics
- News18
'Oppose Chinese Spies Narrative': Beijing Denies US Espionage Charges After Arrest Of 2 Nationals
China's Foreign Ministry has claimed it was unaware of the specifics of the case but cautioned against political manipulation. China has strongly objected to the United States' recent indictment of two Chinese nationals on charges of espionage, dismissing Washington's narrative of 'Chinese spies" as baseless. In response to the US Justice Department's announcement, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said Beijing 'firmly opposes the hyping up of the so-called 'Chinese spy' narrative" and warned that China would take 'necessary measures" to safeguard its citizens' legitimate rights abroad. The comments came after US prosecutors charged Yuance Chen and Liren 'Ryan" Lai with acting as agents of China's Ministry of State Security (MSS). According to the DOJ, the two men allegedly gathered intelligence on US Navy bases and attempted to identify service members who could be recruited to spy for Beijing. The duo is accused of orchestrating a dead-drop payment of $10,000 in a California recreational facility locker in exchange for national security information. #FMsays China always opposes hyping up the so-called 'Chinese spies" narrative, and will take necessary measures to safeguard legitimate rights and interests of Chinese nationals abroad, FM spokeswoman Mao Ning said after the US Department of Justice charged two Chinese citizens… — China Daily (@ChinaDaily) July 2, 2025 China's Foreign Ministry has claimed it was unaware of the specifics of the case but cautioned against political manipulation. 'We have always opposed the hype of so-called Chinese spies," Mao reiterated during a routine press briefing. The Justice Department has not disclosed who provided the national security material or which military personnel were targeted. The accused men reportedly made their initial court appearances in Houston and Portland. FBI Director Kash Patel alleged the Chinese Communist Party 'thought they were getting away with their scheme" by using classic spycraft tactics. First Published: July 03, 2025, 08:50 IST
AsiaOne
a day ago
- AsiaOne
US charges two Chinese nationals with attempting to recruit US service members, World News
US prosecutors have charged two Chinese nationals with acting as agents of China's security service, accusing them of gathering intelligence about US Navy bases and trying to identify Navy members willing to spy for Beijing, the Justice Department said on Tuesday (July 2). The suspects facilitated a "dead-drop payment" of at least US$10,000 (S$13,000) in a locker at a recreational facility in Northern California in 2022 in exchange for US national security information that had already been passed to Chinese intelligence, the Justice Department said. Yuance Chen, 38, a legal permanent resident living in Happy Valley, Oregon, and Liren "Ryan" Lai, 39, who arrived in Houston from China in April on a tourist visa, were arrested on Friday, the department said in a statement. The pair worked on behalf of China's Ministry of State Security (MSS) and made their initial appearances in federal court in Houston and Portland, Oregon on Monday, it said. The Justice Department gave no details on who provided the national security information or the military members targeted for recruitment. After the 2022 incident, the pair "continued to work on behalf of the MSS, including to help identify potential assets for MSS recruitment within the ranks of the US Navy," the Justice Department said. "The Chinese Communist Party thought they were getting away with their scheme to operate on US soil, utilising spy craft, like dead drops, to pay their sources," FBI Director Kash Patel said in a statement. In a statement to Reuters, Chinese Embassy spokesperson Liu Pengyu said he was not aware of the specific case but said the allegations were "assumptions and speculations," accusing the US of hypocrisy in its global intelligence operations. [[nid:718954]]
Yomiuri Shimbun
a day ago
- Politics
- Yomiuri Shimbun
US Charges Two Chinese Nationals with Attempting to Recruit US Service Members
July 1 (Reuters) – U.S. prosecutors have charged two Chinese nationals with acting as agents of China's security service, accusing them of gathering intelligence about U.S. Navy bases and trying to identify Navy members willing to spy for Beijing, the Justice Department said on Tuesday. The suspects facilitated a 'dead-drop payment' of at least $10,000 in a locker at a recreational facility in Northern California in 2022 in exchange for U.S. national security information that had already been passed to Chinese intelligence, the Justice Department said. Yuance Chen, 38, a legal permanent resident living in Happy Valley, Oregon, and Liren 'Ryan' Lai, 39, who arrived in Houston from China in April on a tourist visa, were arrested on Friday, the department said in a statement. The pair worked on behalf of China's Ministry of State Security and made their initial appearances in federal court in Houston and Portland, Oregon on Monday, it said. The Justice Department gave no details on who provided the national security information or the military members targeted for recruitment. After the 2022 incident, the pair 'continued to work on behalf of the MSS, including to help identify potential assets for MSS recruitment within the ranks of the U.S. Navy,' the Justice Department said. 'The Chinese Communist Party thought they were getting away with their scheme to operate on U.S. soil, utilizing spy craft, like dead drops, to pay their sources,' FBI Director Kash Patel said in a statement. In a statement to Reuters, Chinese Embassy spokesperson Liu Pengyu said he was not aware of the specific case but said the allegations were 'assumptions and speculations,' accusing the U.S. of hypocrisy in its global intelligence operations.
Malay Mail
a day ago
- Malay Mail
US arrests two Chinese nationals over alleged plot to infiltrate Navy, pass secrets to Beijing
WASHINGTON, July 2 — Two 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. The activities included paying cash for national security information and seeking to recruit members of the US Navy as potential assets of the Ministry of State Security. 'This case underscores the Chinese government's sustained and aggressive effort to infiltrate our military and undermine our national security from within,' Attorney General Pamela Bondi said in a statement. According to the criminal complaint, Lai recruited Chen, a legal permanent resident of the United States, to work for the Ministry of State Security in 2021. — AFP
