TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Two Chinese citizens, Yuance Chen, 38, and Liren 'Ryan' Lai, 39, have been charged by the United States Department of Justice for allegedly becoming spies and attempting to recruit from the U.S. military. They are accused of working for China's Ministry of State Security (MSS), the country's primary civilian intelligence agency.
As reported by Al Jazeera, Chen and Lai conducted "clandestine intelligence taskings" in America, including gathering sensitive military information, paying individuals for national security data, and attempting to recruit active military members to assist China's intelligence missions.
“This case underscores the Chinese government’s sustained and aggressive effort to infiltrate our military and undermine our national security from within,” said U.S. Attorney General Pamela Bondi in the DOJ official statement on Tuesday, July 1, 2025.
Recruitment and Cash in Locker
According to affidavit from the FBI, Lai is part of the MSS network that can easily travel between China and the U.S. to facilitate "clandestine operations." Around 2021, he began developing Chen, a legal permanent resident of the U.S., into his asset.
After learning that Chen knew several U.S. military members, Lai instructed him to travel abroad to directly discuss his connections, even offering to cover travel expenses.
In 2022, they reportedly met with MSS agents and left a locker in California containing $10,000 in cash as payment to others involved in gathering information.
Access to Aircraft Carrier and Personal Data
According to the FBI, Chen also collected information about the U.S. Navy and sent it to Lai, including on personnel's personal data.
On one occasion, Chen even visited San Diego to meet a newly recruited Navy personnel and took a tour of the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier.
Court documents displayed a photo of Chen with a visitor card, posing with the Navy hire and their child on the ship's deck.
The FBI referred to these activities as part of China's campaign to expand its military reach. “The PRC [People’s Republic of China] government seeks blue-water naval capabilities as part of their effort to modernize their navy and establish hegemony in the South China Sea,” the FBI wrote.
The capability mentioned refers to long-distance maritime power, as opposed to operations limited to its nearby waters.
Charges and U.S. Response
Chen and Lai are charged with the Foreign Agent Registration Act (FARA), which requires individuals working on behalf of foreign governments to register with the U.S. government. In recent years, this law has been increasingly used to address suspected Chinese espionage activities.
According to a report by TRT Global, they were arrested on Friday, June 27 and had their initial hearings in Houston, Texas, and Portland, Oregon, on Monday, June 30.
“We will continue to undertake counterespionage investigations and prosecutions, no matter how complex and sensitive, to disrupt attempts to weaken our national security," said U.S. Attorney Craig H. Missakian in the Justice Department's statement.
FBI Director Kash Patel added, “We will continue to vigilantly defend the homeland from China’s pervasive attempts to infiltrate our borders,"
As of the release of this article, the Chinese Embassy in Washington has not provided a response.
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