The prosecutions are the latest example of the Justice Department's efforts to combat what U.S. officials say is a relentless effort by Beijing to steal American secrets and technology.
Attorney General Merrick Garland speaks during a news conference at the Department of Justice in Washington, D.C., on Oct. 24.The Justice Department has announced charges against 13 people, including suspected Chinese intelligence officers, in three separate cases that involve various alleged plots to advance Chinese interests in the United States.
The company is not named but the information in the charging document aligns with the Chinese tech giant Huawei, which was indicted in New York in 2019. The official, however, was actually a double agent who was passing false information under the supervision of the FBI. Garland said the defendants were part of the Chinese government's extralegal effort known as"Operation Fox Hunt," which he said aims to track down alleged fugitives abroad, including in the U.S., and return them to China.