Two Chinese nationals have been arrested and charged with acting as unregistered agents of the Chinese government in an alleged plot to spy on US military personnel and naval installations across the country, according to a federal complaint unsealed earlier this month.
The suspects, Yuance Chen, 38, a legal permanent US resident living in Happy Valley, Oregon, and Liren “Ryan” Lai, 39, who entered the US on a tourist visa in April, are accused of carrying out clandestine intelligence operations on behalf of the Ministry of State Security (MSS), China’s primary foreign intelligence agency.
According to federal prosecutors, their activities included facilitating covert payments for sensitive information related to US national security, attempting to recruit US Navy personnel as intelligence assets, and collecting data on military service members and recruitment facilities. “This case underscores the Chinese government’s sustained and aggressive effort to infiltrate our military and undermine our national security from within,” said Attorney General Pam Bondi. “We will expose foreign operatives, hold their agents to account, and protect the American people from covert threats to our national security.”
