US Officials Run Sting Operations to Thwart Chinese Theft of U.S. Space Tech

Reporters have made much of Chinese industrial espionage over the year or so. The issue is at the center of the current trade war that’s got the global economy in turmoil. The FBI and other agencies accuse Chinese corporations, many of which are state-backed, of illegally obtaining trade secrets. Most notably over the summer was the case against Huawei. The large Chinese tech company is accused of stealing information from U.S. companies and consumers through technology used in many communications devices across the nation. Now officials found that those intellectual property thefts may extend to more than just cell-phone technology. Nefarious and shadowy operators are after U.S. space tech, too.

To give you a little more information about the Huawei issue, here’s a CNN clip:

Catching the (Alleged) Thieves

Last month, U.S. officials arrested a 33-year-old man named Pengyi Li in Honolulu for attempting to smuggle banned U.S. space tech into China. According to U.S. officials, Li believed that he was purchasing the contraband from illicit U.S. sellers. In reality, he fell into a sting operation instead. This particular arrest came at the end of a two-year investigation into the case involving the theft of technology used in spacecraft and missiles.

The tech Li was attempting to smuggle consisted of some advanced aerospace sensors and radiation-hardened microchips. These components are highly regulated and require export licenses to ship. Furthermore, they’re banned outright for sale to Chinese firms because of their potential application in weaponized space technology. U.S. officials worked undercover offered the components to a firm in Hong Kong for $150,000 as part of the sting.

The sting operations work pretty much the same way all sting operations work. Cops pose as sellers or buyers. Then their criminal counterparts offer to sell or buy. After that, the cops arrest the sellers or buyers and shake them down to get to the big boss. However, in this case, the big boss might not be so easy to get to.

Corporations Backed By the Chinese State

It would be one thing if there were only a couple of rogue companies trying to steal U.S. tech, but that’s not how China works. Even though things appear to be all shiny and capitalist on the outside, we can’t forget that the state has control over pretty much everything.

Furthermore, while China does have a strong space program, it has a lot of catching up to do when it comes to being fully self-sufficient. The country currently uses communications satellites from Boeing and other American companies. Additionally, there are other areas where U.S. technology could help China advance more quickly—particularly concerning missile technology.

Thankfully, Homeland Security is on it, but these investigations take years, and we may have just cracked the surface.

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