A Chinese intelligence officer has been convicted of economic espionage in the United States, reports the US Department of Justice. He’s been trying to steal trade secrets from American and French aerospace companies.
The man was arrested in Belgium in 2018, where he tried to steal technology from the American GE Aviation and report it to China. Ten others are said to be involved in the espionage, but none of them have been arrested. However, they were indicted in absentia.
The convicted man can get up to sixty years in prison and fines that can amount to over five million dollars.
“For those who doubt what China’s intentions are, this should be a wake-up call: they are stealing American technology for their own economy and military,” said an agent involved in the case.