WASHINGTON, Oct 11: A spy for the Chinese Ministry of State Security was arrested and indicted on charges of economic espionage and attempting to steal trade secrets from several US aviation and aerospace companies.
The accused Yanjun Xu, a deputy division director for the ministry’s Jiangsu State Security Department, is alleged of targeting several aerospace companies, including GE Aviation, a subsidiary of General Electric Co, reported CNBC. GE Aviation is a top manufacturer of jet and turboprop engines and components for commercial, military, business and general aviation aircraft.
The Ministry of State Security is China’s intelligence and security agency, responsible for counterintelligence, foreign intelligence and political security.
The charges come as the United States increases pressure on China over its trade policies and alleged theft of US companies’ intellectual property. Xu was detained in Belgium in April on a federal complaint and extradited to the United States yesterday.
He was lured to Belgium by US federal law enforcement agents. The indictment alleges that, beginning around December 2013 and continuing until his arrest, Xu targeted aviation companies in the United States and abroad that were recognized leaders in aviation.
(UNI)
Follow our WhatsApp channel
