• Two Chinese nationals were charged with espionage and attempting to recruit US military personnel.
• They allegedly coordinated cash payments and conducted surveillance on naval bases.
• The arrests highlight ongoing concerns about Chinese intelligence activities in the US.

The United States has charged two Chinese nationals, Yuance Chen, 38, and Liren "Ryan" Lai, 39, with espionage activities aimed at infiltrating the US military on behalf of China's Ministry of State Security (MSS). The charges include attempts to recruit military personnel and gathering sensitive national security information, including photographing a naval base and facilitating a cash dead-drop of at least $10,000 in California to compensate individuals for intelligence, according to SCMP, Al Jazeera, and Channel News Asia.

According to the FBI affidavit, Lai had been developing Chen as a potential intelligence asset since mid-2021, highlighting ongoing Chinese efforts to undermine US national security. These activities included surveilling Navy installations and attempting to recruit personnel by collecting personal data on military members, particularly those with connections to China, according to TRT Global and India Times.

U.S. Attorney General Pamela Bondi emphasized the case as indicative of a broader strategy by the Chinese government to infiltrate American defenses. "This case underscores the Chinese government’s sustained and aggressive effort to infiltrate our military and undermine our national security from within," Bondi stated, echoing sentiments voiced by FBI Director Kash Patel about America's vigilance against such foreign threats, according to Al Jazeera and Channel News Asia.

The defendants' activities resulted in charges for failing to register as foreign agents under U.S. law. Both Chen and Lai were apprehended and presented in federal courts in Houston and Portland, respectively, where allegations related to their involvement in espionage on U.S. soil were detailed, as reported by SCMP and TRT Global.