Chinese Professor and US NASA Researcher Indicted... "Hidden Links with Chinese State-Owned Institutions"

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[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] The U.S. Department of Justice announced that it has arrested a Chinese professor working as a researcher at the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) on charges of concealing his affiliation with a Chinese state-owned institution, and has indicted him for making false statements and fraud. This is the second case this year of a professor employed at a U.S. university being arrested due to ties with China, following the detention of a Harvard University professor in January for secretly passing information to China.

On the 24th (local time), the U.S. Department of Justice stated in a press release that Professor Cheng Zhendong, who is a researcher at NASA and employed at Texas A&M University, has been indicted on charges of making false statements and fraud. According to the DOJ, Professor Cheng has been conducting research funded by NASA grants while working as a NASA researcher, but is suspected of secretly collaborating with Guangdong University of Technology and the Chinese Communist Party’s talent recruitment program to provide key information to China. NASA researchers are required to follow guidelines that prohibit partnerships with Chinese authorities, companies, or universities to protect intellectual property. NASA suspects that Professor Cheng provided China with important information related to the space station and other space science and military security matters.

John Demers, Assistant Attorney General for National Security at the DOJ, said, "We have once again witnessed crimes arising from the Chinese Communist Party’s covert talent recruitment program," adding, "Professor Cheng made false statements to NASA about his relationship with the Chinese government. The DOJ will continue to work to uncover cases where our research institutions have been exploited through participation in the Chinese Communist Party’s talent programs."

Alan Kohler Jr., Deputy Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), also emphasized, "As is known, Professor Cheng deceived NASA by failing to disclose his relationships with Chinese-owned companies and universities," and stated, "The FBI will continue to track those who hide their participation in the Chinese Communist Party’s talent recruitment programs and seek to undermine U.S. research and government institutions."

According to the Wall Street Journal (WSJ), China operates a talent recruitment program called the "Thousand Talents Plan," and Charles Lieber, Chair of the Chemistry and Chemical Biology Department at Harvard University, who was indicted on espionage charges against China at the end of January, is also known to have been recruited through this Thousand Talents Plan program.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.