2 Chinese nationals arrested for spying on US Navy
Two Chinese nationals have been arrested and charged as foreign government agents after allegedly spying on U.S. Navy bases and service members and recruiting military members to accomplish tasks for the Ministry of State Security (MSS), which is China’s foreign intelligence agency.
According to Fox News, the U.S. Justice Department confirmed that Yuance Chen, a Chinese national living in Oregon, and Liren Lai, a Chinese national who came to the U.S. on a tourist visa in April, were arrested on Friday in coordination with the Naval Criminal Investigative Service. The outlet noted that both Chinese nationals face charges of conducting secret espionage activity for the MMS, helping recruit potential MSS assets, and orchestrating a “dead drop” cash payment for the MMS.
A criminal complaint obtained by Fox News claims that Lai recruited Chen in 2021 to work for the MSS, which gathers intelligence on civilians and foreign countries. According to the complaint, Lai and Chen facilitated a “dead drop” payment for the MSS in January of 2022.
According to Fox News, both Chinese nationals also worked to identify individuals associated with the Navy who could be potential assets of the MSS. The outlet noted that in 2022 and 2023, Lai and Chen visited a U.S. Navy facility in Washington and a Navy recruitment center in California.
The Justice Department claimed that Chen captured photos of a bulletin board with information about Navy recruits and allegedly transmitted the photos to an MSS intelligence officer in China. The department also claimed that Chen was instructed by the MSS regarding how to inform potential recruits about payments for helping the agency and preferred Navy assignments for recruits.
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According to the Justice Department, Chen also communicated with a Navy member on social media, scheduled a tour of the USS Abraham Lincoln with the Navy member, and sent the Navy member’s information to the MSS. Additionally, the Justice Department claimed that Chen met with MSS intelligence officers in China in April of 2024 and March of 2025 regarding payment for various intelligence tasks.
According to Fox News, both Chinese nationals have been charged by the Justice Department for operating as foreign government agents in the United States without informing the U.S. attorney general. Chen and Lai could face up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.
Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director Kash Patel told Fox News that the arrests of Chen and Lai “reflect the FBI’s unwavering commitment to protecting our national security and safeguarding the integrity of our military.”
“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,” Patel added. “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.”
