NASA Chinese academics accused by U.S. Department of Justice of concealing participation in China’s Thousand Talents Plan and defrauding U.S. research grants
Zhengdong Cheng, a NASA researcher and an engineering professor at Texas A&M University, was taken into custody on Sunday (23/8) and formally charged on Monday (24/8) by the U.S. Department of Justice for allegedly concealing ties to Chinese companies and universities while receiving a federal grant.
The U.S. Department of Justice charged Cheng Zhengdong on conspiracy, making false statements and wire fraud. The indictment alleged that Cheng's research team received a funding of about US$750,000 for NASA's space research, but concealed his relationship with a Chinese university and at least one Chinese-owned company. Also, it alleged that Cheng knowingly provided false information to Texas A&M University and NASA.
The prosecution stated that NASA funding restriction has been in place to forbidding the collaboration or coordination with any Chinese-owned company or any Chinese University.
Assistant Attorney General for National Security John Demers said in a statement, "Once again, we have witnessed the criminal consequences that can arise from undisclosed participation in the Chinese government’s talent program". He further added, "The Department of Justice will continue seeking to bring participation in these talent programs to light and to expose the exploitation of our nation and our prized research institutions".
The U.S. Department of Justice has previously described China’s Thousand Talents Plan as a tool for the Chinese Communist Party to "attract, recruit, and cultivate high-level scientific talent in furtherance of China’s scientific development, economic prosperity and national security." He continued that the Chinese government would "often reward individuals for stealing proprietary information” through the program.
#Aug24
#CCP #DepartmentOfJustice #ThousandTalentsPlan #ZhengdongCheng #NASA #TexasAMUniversity #USResearchGrants #JohnDemers
(Note: the translation also takes summary if the following reports:
https://www.cnbc.com/2020/08/24/texas-am-professor-accused-of-collaborating-with-china-amid-nasa-work.html
https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/nasa-researcher-arrested-false-statements-and-wire-fraud-relation-china-s-talents-program
https://apnews.com/58b0b752e2ab0b4b3e16e7c9f513e1a6
)
Zhengdong Cheng, a NASA researcher and an engineering professor at Texas A&M University, was taken into custody on Sunday (23/8) and formally charged on Monday (24/8) by the U.S. Department of Justice for allegedly concealing ties to Chinese companies and universities while receiving a federal grant.
The U.S. Department of Justice charged Cheng Zhengdong on conspiracy, making false statements and wire fraud. The indictment alleged that Cheng's research team received a funding of about US$750,000 for NASA's space research, but concealed his relationship with a Chinese university and at least one Chinese-owned company. Also, it alleged that Cheng knowingly provided false information to Texas A&M University and NASA.
The prosecution stated that NASA funding restriction has been in place to forbidding the collaboration or coordination with any Chinese-owned company or any Chinese University.
Assistant Attorney General for National Security John Demers said in a statement, "Once again, we have witnessed the criminal consequences that can arise from undisclosed participation in the Chinese government’s talent program". He further added, "The Department of Justice will continue seeking to bring participation in these talent programs to light and to expose the exploitation of our nation and our prized research institutions".
The U.S. Department of Justice has previously described China’s Thousand Talents Plan as a tool for the Chinese Communist Party to "attract, recruit, and cultivate high-level scientific talent in furtherance of China’s scientific development, economic prosperity and national security." He continued that the Chinese government would "often reward individuals for stealing proprietary information” through the program.
#Aug24
#CCP #DepartmentOfJustice #ThousandTalentsPlan #ZhengdongCheng #NASA #TexasAMUniversity #USResearchGrants #JohnDemers
(Note: the translation also takes summary if the following reports:
https://www.cnbc.com/2020/08/24/texas-am-professor-accused-of-collaborating-with-china-amid-nasa-work.html
https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/nasa-researcher-arrested-false-statements-and-wire-fraud-relation-china-s-talents-program
https://apnews.com/58b0b752e2ab0b4b3e16e7c9f513e1a6
)
CNBC
Texas A&M professor accused of secretly collaborating with China amid NASA work
According to the criminal complaint, Zhengdong Cheng, 53, a professor in the College of Engineering at Texas A&M and a NASA researcher, obscured his affiliations with the Chinese government.
8 Chinese agents were charged by the United States for coercing dissidents to return to the mainland.
The US Justice Department announced today (29th October) that 8 Chinese agents, including 7 Chinese and 1 non-Chinese, were charged with conspiring to work on China’s behalf to find Chinese dissidents in the US, and use threats, harassment, surveillance, and intimidation to force them returning to China. 5 of them were under arrested and 3 others are still remain at large.
An online press conference by the US Justice Department was held on Wednesday morning in local time, disclosing the details of this operation. All eight defendants are charged with conspiring to act as illegal agents for a foreign government. Among these 8 persons 5 has been arrested, but still 3 of them are on the loose and believed to be in China now.
John Demers, Assistant Secretary for National Security Affairs of the US Department of Justice, stated that those defendants are Chinese agents, they carried out the so-called "Operation Fox Hunt" in the US, those goal was to target Chinese nationals living in foreign countries and intimidate them into returning to China for imprisonment or worse. The US Department of Justice described the "Operation Fox Hunt" to be a part of Chinese government’s global campaign and is illegal.
Acting U.S. Attorney Seth D. DuCharme stated that the defendants assisted PRC officials in a scheme to coerce targeted individuals to return to the PRC against their will. "The United States will not tolerate the conduct of PRC carrying out state-authorized actions on U.S. soil without notice to, and coordination with, the appropriate U.S. authorities. Nor will we tolerate the unlawful harassment and stalking of U.S. residents to further PRC objectives", he said.
Source: Stand News #Oct29
#China #OperationFoxHunt #US #USJusticeDepartment #JohnDemers #SethDDuCharme
The US Justice Department announced today (29th October) that 8 Chinese agents, including 7 Chinese and 1 non-Chinese, were charged with conspiring to work on China’s behalf to find Chinese dissidents in the US, and use threats, harassment, surveillance, and intimidation to force them returning to China. 5 of them were under arrested and 3 others are still remain at large.
An online press conference by the US Justice Department was held on Wednesday morning in local time, disclosing the details of this operation. All eight defendants are charged with conspiring to act as illegal agents for a foreign government. Among these 8 persons 5 has been arrested, but still 3 of them are on the loose and believed to be in China now.
John Demers, Assistant Secretary for National Security Affairs of the US Department of Justice, stated that those defendants are Chinese agents, they carried out the so-called "Operation Fox Hunt" in the US, those goal was to target Chinese nationals living in foreign countries and intimidate them into returning to China for imprisonment or worse. The US Department of Justice described the "Operation Fox Hunt" to be a part of Chinese government’s global campaign and is illegal.
Acting U.S. Attorney Seth D. DuCharme stated that the defendants assisted PRC officials in a scheme to coerce targeted individuals to return to the PRC against their will. "The United States will not tolerate the conduct of PRC carrying out state-authorized actions on U.S. soil without notice to, and coordination with, the appropriate U.S. authorities. Nor will we tolerate the unlawful harassment and stalking of U.S. residents to further PRC objectives", he said.
Source: Stand News #Oct29
#China #OperationFoxHunt #US #USJusticeDepartment #JohnDemers #SethDDuCharme