❓WHAT HAPPENED: Two Chinese nationals, Yuance Chen and Liren Lai, were arrested for spying on the U.S. Navy and acting as unregistered agents of China’s Ministry of State Security.
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Chinese Communist Party (CCP), Yuance Chen, Liren Lai.
📍WHEN & WHERE: June 27, 2025; Houston, Texas and Happy Valley, Oregon
💬KEY QUOTE: “The individuals charged were acting on behalf of a hostile foreign intelligence service—part of the Chinese Communist Party’s broader effort to infiltrate and undermine our institutions,” said FBI Director Kash Patel.
🎯IMPACT: The arrests highlight ongoing Chinese espionage threats and attempts to infiltrate U.S. military institutions.
Two Chinese nationals have been arrested for spying on the U.S. Navy. They are facing charges of allegedly acting as agents for the People’s Republic of China government to collect intelligence from U.S. Navy service members and bases and attempt to recruit military members to carry out tasks for the Ministry of State Security (MSS), China’s main intelligence force. The men are also accused of facilitating a “dead drop” cash payment on the MSS’s behalf.
The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) said Chinese nationals Yuance Chen and Liren Lai were arrested by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) on Friday, June 27, 2025. They are facing charges of carrying out various clandestine intelligence tasks in the U.S. on behalf of the MSS.
“Today’s arrests reflect the FBI’s unwavering commitment to protecting our national security and safeguarding the integrity of our military,” said FBI Director Kash Patel. “The individuals charged were acting on behalf of a hostile foreign intelligence service—part of the Chinese Communist Party’s broader effort to infiltrate and undermine our institutions. Thanks to outstanding coordination with our partners, including NCIS, we disrupted those efforts and sent a clear message: the United States will not tolerate espionage on American soil. Our counterintelligence operations remain focused, vigilant, and relentless.”
Chen was arrested in Happy Valley, Oregon, and Lai was arrested in Houston, Texas, by the FBI with help from the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS). Attorney General Pam Bondi commented that the Trump administration would not “stand by while hostile nations embed spies in our country.”
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