Foreign-Born Researchers at US Agencies Were Secretly Working for China, Senate Report Finds

The Stream ^ | November 20, 2019 | Luke Rosiak

[E. Pluribus Unum]

Foreign-born researchers working at U.S. agencies secretly joined China’s payroll, sending sensitive U.S.-funded research to the country while U.S. government agencies took almost no defensive measures against a major recruitment operation, a Senate investigation found.

Researchers linked to the Chinese government formed a Chinese cell within the Department of Energy, attained access to American genomic data, and recruited other U.S. researchers to join, the bipartisan report stated.

China’s Thousand Talents Plan (TTP) aims to get foreign governments to finance the communist power’s military and economy by buying off researchers who are doing work abroad. The experts apply to the program, and if approved by the Communist Party, they join China’s payroll and sign secret side agreements that the experts will share their research with that country, according to the investigation.

Some of the information captured by TTP had significant military value. For example, in 2016, Dr. Long Yu, a Chinese citizen and U.S. permanent resident working for a U.S. defense contractor, applied for Chinese talent plans and was arrested for attempting to give hundreds of gigabytes to China, including design info on military jet engines, according to the investigation.

“China wins twice. First, the American taxpayer funds China’s research and development. Second, China uses that research to improve its economic and military status,” Sen. Rob Portman, an Ohio Republican who chairs the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, said in a statement.

Sen. Tom Carper, a Delaware Democrat whose staff co-wrote the report, said “there are serious consequences that come from giving a foreign government so much control over the vital research we rely on to drive our country’s economic competitiveness and bolster our national defense.”

As China announced its plans and reportedly recruited 7,000 researchers in countries other than China, virtually every U.S. government agency made missteps, with some taking almost...

[pke]

Gee, what was the first clue?

[Deaf Smith]

I sure hope that Rick Perry cleaned out the Dept of Energy while he was there.

[trublu]

A few executions may slow it down a bit.

[HighSierra5]

A purge is in order.

[Carl Vehse]

"U.S. government agencies took almost no defensive measures against a major recruitment operation, a Senate investigation found."

Those DOE and other executives who allowed Chicom agents to work at their agencies have given aid and comfort to the enemy. The Constitution has a word for that.

[Dogbert41]

[Linda Frances]

Friend of Barbara Boxer?

[ealgeone]

Not surprised. Commies have been spying on us since the 30s.

[Rashputin]

"Foreign-born researchers working at U.S. agencies . . ."

Shame we're so short of people with critical skills that we have a special program that imports foreign born researchers. /sarc

[arthurus]

Alll Chinese, whether citizen or not, must be regarded as spies for China if they have immediate family inside China and probably if they have extended family there, too.