Beware of Strategic Threat from Chinese Agents’ Economic and Military Espionage: Law Enforcement
In a case out of the Western District of Pennsylvania, Chinese intelligence agents were indicted on charges of computer hacking, stealing economic information, and other related offenses. The five suspects breached the security at six American entities within the U.S. nuclear power plants, as well as metals and solar products industries.
This marked the first time criminal charges had been filed against known state actors for hacking.
According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) archives: from 2006 through 2014, the Chinese spies identified as Wang Dong, Sun Kailiang, Wen Xinyu, Huang Zhenyu, and Gu Chunhui were officers in what’s been identified as Unit 61398 of the Third Department of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army.
They were said to have been involved a hacking conspiracy that targeted Westinghouse Electric Co.; U.S. subsidiaries of SolarWorld AG; United States Steel Corp.; Allegheny Technologies Inc.; the United Steel, Paper and Forestry, Rubber, Manufacturing, Energy, Allied Industrial and Service Workers International Union; and Alcoa, Inc.
On Wednesday, an FBI press statement claims that Chinese espionage as well as efforts to steal U.S. research and development (R & D) information amounts to “the most severe counterintelligence threat” facing our country today.
“More than ever, now with President [Donald Trump] standing up to the bullies in China who are seeking to replace America as the world’s great military and economic power, the political leaders in both houses of Congress and with the security and defense agencies must stop their anti-Trump narrative regarding Russia’s penetration of the U.S. government computer systems and the DNC [Democratic National Committee] cyber system,” said former military intelligence operative and police captain Matthew Delahanty.
E.W. “Bill” Priestap, head of the bureau’s counterintelligence division, joined two senior officials in outlining their view of Beijing’s long-term campaign to undermine the United States’ economic and technological dominance and the government’s efforts to counter it.
Background information on FBI's Bill Priestap: Bill Priestap is the FBI's Assistant Director Counterintelligence Operations. His claim to fame just might be that it was he who fired FBI's Peter Strzok. According to numerous news stories, he is also in the controversial Clinton investigation as well as the Trump campaign investigation. Bill Priestap name was found on every email of consequence such as the Clinton exoneration talking points delivered by FBI Director James Comey who had them written well before witnesses and Hillary Clinton all testified. Priestap is on the FBI side of both Clinton and Trump probes. “Bill” is mentioned in hundreds of text messages sent by the adulterous Peter Strzok and his paramour Lisa Page. Priestap is so important at the agency that during FBI Director James Comey’s testimony before lawmakers, Director Comey told congress it was Priestap who recommended that congressional oversight should not be notified of the ongoing counterintelligence operations.
The Communist Party continues to “dominate every facet of Chinese life,” from religious life to freedom of expression and free trade, according to Priestap at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing. “It is therefore alarming that the Chinese government’s economic aggression, including its relentless theft of U.S. assets, is positioning China to supplant us as the world’s superpower,” he’s quoted as saying in the transcript.
The hearing on “Non-Traditional Espionage Against the United States” came as announcements of indictments of Chinese hackers and other actions planned have been put off for now, officials said. They gave no reason for the delay.
Some law enforcement officials told Conservative Base private cyber-security officers and government investigators uncovered proof that China’s Ministry of Security, their top intelligence agency, was most probably behind the hacking of Marriott’s Starwood chain cyber system. That breach alone gave the Chinese intelligence officers the private data of as many as 500 million people including U.S. citizens.
