Chinese agent pleads guilty in US to espionage
The latest espionage bust can only heighten the tensions pitting Trump against Xi. Photo: Getty
A Singaporean man who set up a fake consulting site to solicit information from US government and military workers has pleaded guilty to spying for China, the US Justice Department has said.
The sentencing of Jun Wei Yeo, also known as Dickson Yeo, will be in October, the Justice Department confirmed on Friday.
The United States is cracking down on Chinese spying, with the FBI having interviewed dozens of visa holders about their possible ties to Chinese intelligence.
On Friday a Chinese researcher who took refuge in the San Francisco consulate was expected to appear in court on allegations she lied about her Chinese military service.
The US counterintelligence agency chief warned China and other nations could interfere with November elections.
China’s foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
There’s another salvo in the escalating battle of wills between the US and China.
Being this week ordered Beijing to close its consulate in Chengdu – a tit-for-tat response to the Trump administration’s order that it must shutter its consulate in Houston.
It adds to the list of prickly issues between the two sides including trade, the coronavirus, Hong Kong and the South China Sea all sticking points.
-with AAP
