The US Department of Justice announced Thursday that two serving members of the US Navy had been arrested on suspicion of spying for China.
The individuals are suspected of selling classified information to Beijing, including manuals for warships and weapons systems, schematics for a radar system, and plans for a massive US military exercise.
“These arrests are a reminder of the relentless, aggressive efforts of the People’s Republic of China to undermine our democracy and threaten those who defend it,” said Suzanne Turner of the FBI’s Counterintelligence Division, which was involved in the sting.
China “compromised enlisted personnel to secure sensitive military information that could seriously jeopardize US national security.”
The Department of Justice stated in a press statement that sailor Jinchao Wei, who served on the amphibious assault ship USS Essex in San Diego, had turned over dozens of documents, images, and videos showing the operation of ships and their systems.
These included technical and mechanical texts dealing with his own vessel’s weaponry.
If convicted, the 22-year-old, who is said to have been paid hundreds of dollars for the information, faces life in prison.
In a separate instance, the Department of Justice claimed that Petty Officer Wenheng Zhao, 26, spied for China from his perch at Naval Base Ventura County, north of Los Angeles, for over two years.
A Chinese intelligence agent allegedly paid Zhao about $15,000 for information about a large-scale US military exercise in the Indo-Pacific, including details on the date and location of amphibious landings.
He is also accused of delivering electrical schematics and designs for a radar system to a US military installation in southern Japan, where the US maintains a major military presence.
“By sending this sensitive military information to an intelligence officer employed by a hostile foreign state, the defendant betrayed his sacred oath to protect our country,” US Attorney Martin Estrada said.
“Unlike the vast majority of US Navy personnel who serve the nation with honor, distinction and courage, Mr. Zhao chose to corruptly sell out his colleagues and his country.”
If convicted, Zhao faces up to 20 years in jail.
