By Shannon Tiezzi
A U.S.-China relations fray, espionage charges are popping up with increasing frequency.
As Chinese President Xi Jinping arrives in the United States for a state visit, Washington and Beijing are trying to smooth over tensions. But that doesn’t mean things are going well in the relationship – and espionage continues to be a major point of contention.
For all the focus on cyber espionage, more conventional forms of spycraft — involving undercover work to illicitly gather and pass on information — remain a prominent concern for both sides. And it’s on this front that Chinese-Americans find themselves caught in the crossfire of growing mistrust on both sides.
On September 12, the U.S. Justice Department dropped espionage charges against university professor Xi Xiaoxing. Xi , then the chairman of the physics department at Temple University, was arrested in May and charged with sharing the blueprints of sensitive technology with Chinese scientists. The charges were dropped after it became apparent investigators has misidentified the blueprints Xi sent; Xi’s lawyer, Peter Zeidenberg, said the technology in the design was not restricted information. Even though they have been dropped, the charges had a real effect on Xi’s reputation. Temple University removed his title as physics chair, and placed him on administrative leave.
Read the full story at The Diplomat