Wed Jul 02 00:25:18 UTC 2025: **FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE**

**Two Charged with Espionage for China, Attempted to Infiltrate US Navy**

**Washington D.C.** – The U.S. Department of Justice has announced charges against two Chinese citizens, Yuance Chen, 38, and Liren “Ryan” Lai, 39, accused of spying and attempting to recruit within the U.S. military on behalf of China’s Ministry of State Security (MSS).

According to a statement released Tuesday, the FBI alleges Chen and Lai engaged in “clandestine intelligence taskings” that included paying individuals for sensitive national security information, gathering intelligence on Navy bases, and attempting to recruit assets for the MSS.

“This case underscores the Chinese government’s sustained and aggressive effort to infiltrate our military and undermine our national security from within,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi.

An FBI affidavit alleges that Lai, part of an MSS network facilitating clandestine operations between China and the US, began developing Chen into an asset around 2021. After determining Chen had contacts within the U.S. military, Lai allegedly urged him to travel abroad to discuss his connections, even offering to pay for travel expenses.

The men allegedly met with MSS agents and, in 2022, are accused of leaving $10,000 in cash in a California locker as payment to individuals for intelligence gathering. Over the following years, Chen allegedly collected and sent information about the Navy to Lai, while also discussing recruitment efforts directly with the MSS. This included personal details of Navy employees. The affidavit details an incident where Chen traveled to San Diego, California, to meet with a Navy employee and tour the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier, even taking photographs of the employee, their child, and himself on the ship’s deck.

The FBI asserts that these activities are part of a larger Chinese campaign to expand its military reach, particularly concerning “blue-water capabilities” in the South China Sea. The affidavit claims the MSS is tasked with surreptitiously targeting the U.S. Navy to gather intelligence in support of these efforts.

Both men are charged under the Foreign Agent Registration Act (FARA), which requires individuals working on behalf of foreign governments to register with the US government. The U.S. government has increasingly utilized FARA in recent years to combat alleged Chinese espionage.

Beijing has consistently denied allegations of espionage and has accused the U.S. of discriminatory tactics.

“These charges reflect the breadth of the efforts by our foreign adversaries to target the United States,” stated U.S. Attorney Craig H Missakian. “We will continue to undertake counterespionage investigations and prosecutions, no matter how complex and sensitive, to disrupt attempts to weaken our national security.”

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