Singapore National In US Pleads Guilty To Illegally Spying For China

A Singapore national living in Washington D.C. has pleaded guilty to illegally spy in the U.S. on behalf of China.

The prosecutors on Friday, July 24, said that Jun Wei Yeo has pleaded guilty to being an "illegal agent of a foreign power," wherein the foreign power in question is China.

Jun Wei, also known as Dickson Yeo, is known to have worked for the Chinese intelligence for about four or five years. As a part of his job, he used to recruit Americans with access to crucial and sensitive information and then have them prepare reports that can be sent back to Beijing.

"Yeo was central to one such scheme, using career networking sites and a false consulting firm to lure Americans who might be of interest to the Chinese government,” United States Assistant Attorney General John Demers said in a statement. “This is yet another example of the Chinese government's exploitation of the openness of American society."

Demers further said that the Chinese government uses an array of tools to obtain crucial information from Americans that are or cannot be suspected.

Amid increasing tensions between Washington and Beijing, the U.S. has launched a crackdown against China’s operatives in America who are known to transmit sensitive information to Beijing.

On the same day as Jun Wei’s guilty plea, Chinese military-linked scientists surrendered to the U.S. authorities. According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), she had been hiding in the Chinese consulate in San Fransisco.

Shortly afterward, the U.S. announced the shutting of the Chinese Consulate in Houston and linked it to “espionage operations and Intellectual Property theft.”

In retaliation, Beijing announced the shutting of the U.S.Consulate in Chengdu, which China linked to spying operations and activities dictated by America.

The political relations between the U.S. and China have deteriorated ever since the COVID-19 pandemic started to affect the world. The U.S. has constantly blamed China for the novel coronavirus outbreak and the loss of lives and economy due to it.

On top of that, the ongoing issues related to data privacy, hacking of COVID-19 vaccine research, trade deal and Honk Kong security issue has further added to the dispute between the two countries.