(CNN) Two Chinese intelligence officers have been charged by the United States Justice Department with trying to steal the details for a type of jet engine technology from US-based companies.

Zha Rong and Chai Meng, intelligence officers with the Jiangsu provincial branch of the Ministry of State Security (MSS) in China, are accused of attempting to hack and infiltrate private companies over the course of five years in an attempt to steal the technology.

"This action is yet another example of criminal efforts by the MSS to facilitate the theft of private data for China's commercial gain," US Attorney Adam Braverman said in a statement.

"The concerted effort to steal, rather than simply purchase, commercially available products should offend every company that invests talent, energy, and shareholder money into the development of products."

The US Department of Justice statement does not explicitly state where Zha Rong and Chai Meng are presently located. The United States does not have an extradition treaty with China -- and if the men are in China, the Chinese government would be unlikely to give them up.

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