Two US Navy sailors arrested on China spying charges

Two US Navy servicemembers were arrested for "transmitting military information" to China, the US justice department said Thursday.

US Navy sailor Jinchao Wei was arrested Wednesday while boarding the San Diego California-based USS Essex, the amphibious assault ship on which he served as a machinist's mate.

In his role aboard the Essex, Wei held a US security clearance and had access to sensitive national defense information about weapons, propulsion and desalination systems, the Justice Department said.

Sensitive information about Navy ships leaked to China 

In February 2022, Wei "began communicating" with a Chinese intelligence officer, who asked him to provide information about the Essex and other Navy ships, according to the indictment.

Wei is accused of passing on detailed information about weapons systems and aircraft aboard the amphibious assault ships, which serve as small-scale aircraft carriers. This included photographs, videos and manuals containing technical data about Navy ships.

He was paid thousands of dollars by the Chinese intelligence officer in exchange for the information, according to the indictment.

Wei, who was in the process of becoming a US citizen during this time, was even congratulated by the Chinese intelligence officer after being granted citizenship, according to  US Attorney Randy Grossman for the Southern District of California.

Grossman added that Wei "chose to turn his back on his newly adopted country" for greed.

The other case was separate but also in California. Wenheng Zhao, who worked at Naval Base Ventura County, and held a security clearance, was arrested and charged with conspiring to collect nearly $15,000 in bribes from a Chinese intelligence officer in exchange for sensitive military information.

Zhao is accused of passing on US naval exercise plans, operational orders, and images of electrical systems at Navy facilities between August 2021 and May 2023, according to the indictment.

China 'compromised' US military members

It is unclear if the two Navy servicemembers were contacted and paid by the same Chinese intelligence officer as part of a larger operation.

US Federal officials speaking at a press conference in San Diego did not specify whether Wei and Zhao were aware of the other's actions.

Both men pleaded not guilty in federal courts in San Diego and Los Angeles.

"These arrests are a reminder of the relentless, aggressive efforts of the People's Republic of China (PRC) to undermine our democracy and threaten those who defend it," Suzanne Turner, assistant director of the FBI's Counterintelligence Division, said in a press release.

"The PRC compromised enlisted personnel to secure sensitive military information that could seriously jeopardize US national security," she added.

wmr/rc (AP, AFP)