Two Chinese nationals arrested for spying on US Navy personnel and basesTwo People's Republic of China nationals arrested after allegedly recruiting service members and conducting clandestine operations for China's Ministry of State Security
By Greg Wehner
Fox NewsPublished July 1, 2025 9:29am EDT
Two Chinese nationals face serious charges after they allegedly acted as agents of the People's Republic of China’s government to collect intelligence about U.S. Navy service members and bases, while also recruiting other military members to carry out tasks for the country’s main foreign intelligence service, the Ministry of State Security (MSS).
The Department of Justice (DOJ) said Chinese national Yuance Chen, who resides in Happy Valley, Oregon, and Liren Lai, who traveled to Houston on a tourist visa in April 2025, were arrested on Friday. Both individuals face charges of overseeing and carrying out various clandestine intelligence tasks in the U.S. on behalf of the Ministry of State Security. ...
The DOJ said in 2022 and 2023, the two visited a U.S. Naval installation in Washington State as well as a Navy recruitment center in San Gabriel, California.
While at the recruitment center, Chen allegedly took photos of a bulletin board that contained the names, programs and hometowns of Navy recruits. The majority of those listed on the board noted that their hometown was "China," and the photos appeared to be transmitted to an MSS intelligence officer in China, the DOJ claimed. ...
