U.S. indicts 6 Chinese citizens on charges of stealing trade secrets

Washington Post ^ | May 19, 2015 | By Ellen Nakashima

[Brad from Tennessee]

A federal grand jury has indicted six Chinese citizens for what authorities say was a long-running conspiracy to steal valuable technology from two U.S. firms for the benefit of the Chinese government.

The indictment, unsealed Monday, highlights the threat posed by insiders who use their position to steal sensitive information on behalf of a foreign government or for financial gain and is part of a larger trend by the U.S. government to step up efforts to deter Chinese theft of trade secrets.

It is also a manifestation of the ongoing innovation war between China and the United States and could increase tensions in an already-fraught relationship.

“According to the charges in the indictment, the defendants leveraged their access to and knowledge of sensitive U.S. technologies to illegally obtain and share U.S. trade secrets with the [People’s Republic of China] for economic advantage,” said Assistant Attorney General John Carlin, head of the national security division. “Economic espionage imposes great costs on American businesses, weakens the global marketplace and ultimately harms U.S. interests worldwide.”

[Alamo-Girl]

Thanks for remembering the DSL!