It has been reported that two spies from the People's Republic of China allegedly tried to pry into an investigation that's being conducted by the US Department of Justice. The investigation looks into Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei being accused of stealing trade secrets, and not for the first time, as mentioned by Engadget.
The Attempt at Bribery
The two spies mentioned, namely, Guochun He and Zheng Wang, attempted to bribe an employee within the investigation of the Justice Department. According to a complaint seen by the outlet. The two built a relationship with the said employee to collect information about the investigation, including witnesses, evidence, and other possible charges that could be filed against Huawei.
Unbeknownst to He and Wang, the person they continuously bribed was a Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) double agent. They have been accused of obstruction concerning the prosecution of the Justice Department against Huawei.
US Attorney General Merrick Garland expressed that it was an egregious attempt by PRC intelligence officers to keep Huawei from accountability. Ergo, it undermines the integrity of the judicial system. He added that the Justice Department would not tolerate the other party's attempts to undermine the law on which their democracy is based and will protect the rights in the US.
This is in addition to what US Attorney General Garland also announced, which other charges against the Chinese national in two cases. First is for the four individuals of whom three were Chinese intelligence agents, attempting to steal technology from the US. Second is an incident where Chinese operatives were forcing a US resident to return to China.
He then commented that the government of China is attempting to interfere with the rights and freedoms of people in the United States, and that they did not succeed. He added that the cases show the Chinese government's flagrant violation of international laws, as they project their authoritarian views into their borders.
The Case Against Huawei
The investigation looks into the charges made by the Justice Department against Huawei back in 2020. The Chinese telecommunications company was accused of racketeering and stealing trade secrets from US firms, which has been happening for over 20 years, according to Politico.
The accusation states that Huawei built their company with ideas from other companies, which are six US firms. Huawei did it by copying intellectual property and then selling it in products globally. Back in 2000, the Department of Justice claimed that the company stole source code for internet routers. This includes misappropriating robotic technology and stealing proprietary information about cellular antennas.
It was also reported that Huawei also relied on academics to steal trade secrets or gave financial rewards to employees who followed their orders. Huawei spokesperson, Glenn Schloss, stated that the indictment was a part of the Department of Justice's attempts to damage Huawei's reputation, and the reason lies more on business competition rather than law enforcement.
