Yanjun Xu, an operative of China’s Ministry of State Security, was charged Wednesday in Cincinnati, Ohio, after being extradited to the US from Belgium
China said Thursday that accusations against an alleged Chinese spy accused of attempting to steal trade secrets from American aviation and aerospace companies were “made out of thin air.”
Yanjun Xu, an operative of China’s Ministry of State Security, was charged Wednesday in Cincinnati, Ohio, after being extradited to the U. S. from Belgium.
Foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang dismissed the allegations and called on the U. S. to deal with the matter “fairly in accordance with law” and ensure Xu’s “legitimate rights and interests.”
“The U. S. accusation is something made out of thin air,” Lu told reporters at a daily news briefing.
The Justice Department has accused Xu of recruiting experts from major aerospace companies, including GE Aviation, and persuading them to travel to China under the guise that they would give a presentation at a university. The trips were actually attempts to obtain secrets, according to the allegations.
The indictment said Xu recruited a GE Aviation employee, who sent him a presentation in February that contained the company’s proprietary information. Xu later asked the employee for specific technical information and then asked him to meet in Europe, where he wanted the worker to provide additional information from GE, according to court papers.
