An advertisement by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) aimed at Chinese-speaking residents of San Francisco's Bay Area, ran from July 2 through July 8 in three local Chinese-language newspapers, seeking information about Chinese espionage to the United States. The ad said that the FBI would especially welcome anyone who has information about the Chinese Ministry of State Security to contact their office.
This news has had strong repercussions among Chinese authorities. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman, Qin Gang said on July 10 that the FBI ad had harmed bilateral relations and friendship between the two peoples, adding that Chinese authorities wanted to express its "indignation and resolute opposition" to the FBI's action.
FBI Ad Pointing to CCP's Ministry of State Security
The FBI ad directly mentioned the Chinese Ministry of State Security. An English translation of the advertisement reads as follows:
The FBI has many responsibilities. One of these is to protect our domestic security and civil rights. Chinese living here have often helped the FBI prevent subversive elements from penetrating and harming our country. In order to protect our freedom and democracy, we continue to seek your assistance. We would like to speak with individuals who have information about any intelligence service whose intent is to harm the U.S. We especially welcome anyone who has information about the Chinese Ministry of State Security to contact of office. There will be Chinese-speaking agents available for those who speak no English.Please call and ask for Special Agent House (415) 553-7400 or write to FBI, P.O. Box 36015, San Francisco, CA 94102.
(The identity of anyone who contacts the FBI will be kept strictly confidential.)
FBI Protects U. S. National Interests
A spokesman for the local FBI office, Joseph M. Schadler, said that the FBI was not asking members of the Chinese community to spy on one another or to spy on the Chinese government. The FBI ran the ad in Chinese because many local Chinese speak little or no English, or are simply much more comfortable communicating in their native languages. The ad in Chinese helped give local Chinese more access to information related to wrongdoing of any kind. The FBI is seeking assistance from the local Chinese-speaking residents about those conducting illicit activities against the United States.
Mr. Schadler stressed that the FBI does not conduct espionage; rather, it is simply their duty to stop theft of classified materials, vital technology or trade secrets. Threats may come from foreign governments, corporate interests, or even from within U.S. borders. The FBI effectively protects national assets and society, relying on information from all channels, irrespective of any nationality, language, race, or religion. The FBI sees itself as the first line of defense.
Mr. Schadler said that advertising in the local newspapers could help spread this message and would enable the FBI to reach more people. He said, "To adequately protect our nation, we need members of the community to act as the eyes and ears for law enforcement; and to be the everyday guardians of freedom, justice and democracy."
CCP Angered by FBI Ad
According to CCP mouthpiece Xinhua Net in response to the FBI's counter-espionage advertisement, on July 10 Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang said at a press conference that theCCP never does anything to overthrow foreign governments, or undermine other countries' national sovereignty, territorial integrity or security interests. He added that a handful of people in the U.S. attempt to harm China's image and bilateral friendly relations, and Chinese authorities were indignant about the contents of the advertisements.
Qin Gang also said the CCP urges the U.S. to take immediate action to correct its mistakes and refrain from doing anything which might harm relations between two countries.
CCP Complaints Absurd
Caoan Jushi, CEO and vice chairman of Pan-America Capital Inc., who is also a renowned political and financial commentator, pointed out that there is much evidence of increased CCP espionage activities in the U.S. Of all the cases of individuals who committed espionage, 60 percent were tied to the CCP. Therefore, the FBI advertisement quite naturally meets the responsibility to American public security interests.
Caoan Jushi said the CCP's protest is absurd. If the CCP ran such an advertisement in mainland Chinese newspapers claiming for national security and the people's interests, would other countries denounce that? The CCP always insists that others should not intervene in their domestic affairs. The FBI's advertisement appeared on U.S. soil as an internal issue, but the CCP intervened.
Many CCP Spying Cases Exposed
Caoan Jushi pointed out that many CCP spy cases have been exposed in recent years. Many of them have been caught up in Silicon Valley and charged with espionage.
One example he mentioned was Meng Xiaodong, who was charged in theft of military secrets in December 2006. The indictment said Chinese engineer Meng Xiaodong stole military combat and commercial simulation software and other materials from his former employer Quantum3D Inc. of San Jose, to sell to China, Malaysia and Thailand. He was found guilty by a jury in May 2007 and faces a sentence of 55 years. The case is the third foreign economic espionage indictment in the U.S. since the enactment of the Economic Espionage Act of 1996.
In addition, Ye Fei and Zhong Ming, when arrested by the FBI, plead guilty to the crime of stealing a suitcase full of trade secrets and proprietary documents belonging to Sun and Transmeta, which once employed them, as well as stealing technical equipment belonging to the companies. They face a possible maximum sentence of 15 years in prison.
Furthermore, Li Lin (Lan Lee) and Ge Yuefei were arrested in June 2006 on the charge of stealing chip designs and software from Netlogic Microsystems of Mountain View and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. in San Jose, and planning to go into business with the CCP.
Chen Yukun, also known as Bill Chen, arrested in May 2006, was general manager of San Jose-based Data Physics, which makes equipment used in noise- and vibration-testing. The federal criminal complaint alleges that Chen brokered the illegal sale of technology to the Hai Ying Electro-Mechanical Technology Academy in China, which develops cruise missiles.
In another case, Martin Shih, founder of Night Vision Technology in Cupertino, and San Jose businessman Philip Cheng have been suspected of traveling to China in 2001 and 2002 to illegally sell state-of-the-art thermal imaging equipment.
West Coast the Target of CCP Espionage
Analysts said that California, due to its pleasant weather and beautiful landscape, has a high concentration of high-tech industries and a dense population of Asian-Americans. Approximately five million Asian-Americans live in California, about one third of the total Asian-American population of the U.S. Therefore the West Coast has became the prime territory for CCP espionage. The CCP has not only developed its agents in San Francisco and Los Angeles, but has also purchased Chinese and English media to control the Chinese communities and infiltrate mainstream American society. In addition, the CCP has placed many commercial and military spies in Silicon Valley, which was described by the FBI as "the biggest espionage threat to the U.S." California has then become the primary target for the FBI to accomplish their counter-espionage mission.
Since 2001, Los Angeles, the city with the second-largest Chinese population in the western U.S., has become in America's eyes a breeding ground for "Chinese spies." First there was the investigation of first-generation overseas Chinese Xiong Delong by U.S. authorities, which eventually forced him to go into exile. Soon after second-generation overseas Chinese Luo Wenzheng was sought by the FBI for economic issues, which forced him to leave the country. These cases once were the top stories in Los Angeles's Chinese community. Chen Wenying (Katrina Leung), a Chinese double agent close to the CCP's ex-Chairman Jiang Zemin, stole, copied and kept secret documents obtained from an FBI agent who was both her chief contact and her lover. Chen was arrested in April 2003, and her case became headline news throughout the U.S.
The Chinese spy cases highlight the CCP's role as the main adversary in a complex game of 21st-century espionage where many agents aren't trained spies in trench coats but businessmen, students and researchers.
A high-ranking FBI official once indicated that the CCP uses students, delegation members, researchers, and tourists, and also opens fake companies among other way it tries to steal secrets and acquire technology. In the past two years, the FBI has arrested nearly 30 Chinese nationals and Chinese-Americans involved in stealing sensitive technologies that have economic, commercial or military uses. Especially in California, with a high Chinese population and highly concentrated high-tech industries, spy cases are revealed at regular intervals.
Chi Mak's Case Send a Strong Signal to the CCP
On May 10, 2007, a jury in the Santa Ana federal court in California determined that Chi Mak, a former engineer with Navy contractor Power Paragon, was guilty of five charges. These five charges include working as a foreign agent without registration, stealing U.S. national defense secrets for the CCP, disclosing secrets, making false statements to federal agents and violating export regulations. Chi Mak faces a maximum possible sentence of 45 years in federal prison. His case will be announced on September 10, 2007. The federal government also charged Mak's wife, Rebecca Laiwah Chiu, his brother Tai Mak, Tai's wife Fuk Heung, and Tai's son Billy Yui Mak. Rebecca and the other three defendants were convicted and sentenced in the same court this June.
Mak's case has aroused great attention in mainstream media and the Chinese community. Media such as the Associated Press, the Washington Post, the New York Times and CNN have fully covered the stories including the progress of the cases and trial results. After Mak pleaded guilty, U.S. prosecutor Craig Missakian said that considering the efforts of the CCP's spy activities in the U.S., he hopes this case will send a strong signal to Chinese authorities.
Caoan Jushi believes that the FBI has been taking a more direct approach to dealing with increased Chinese espionage efforts, and that the FBI has been aware of the CCP's evil hands extending into the U.S. territory, hence it is their responsibility and principle to continue to protect U.S. security and safeguard constitutional rights.
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