SAN FRANCISCO—Chenguang Gong, a Chinese American facing allegations of stealing U.S. infrared missile detection technology, was named among 558 “young talents” in the 12th Thousand Talents Plan administered by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in 2016.
The roster of talents was released by the Task Force Office of Overseas High-Level Talent Recruitment Programs within the Organization Department of the Central Committee of the CCP.
A complaint filed by the U.S. Attorney’s Office alleged that Mr. Gong moved 3,600 files from his work laptop to three personal storage devices between March 2023 and April 2023.
The complaint also alleged that Mr. Gong had files labeled as “confidential” in his personal storage devices, which seemed to be linked to several of his previous employers. These devices were seized from his temporary residence in Thousand Oaks, California, during an FBI search on May 8, 2023.
Mr. Gong, aged 57, from San Jose, was taken into custody on February 6 and posted bail set at $2.5 million after a hearing in San Jose the following day.
He was formally charged on February 27 by the Assistant U.S. Attorney’s Office, marking the commencement of a criminal case against him.
The case has now been moved to the Central District Court in Los Angeles, where Mr. Gong had his first appearance on February 20th.
A hearing for post-indictment arraignment will be decided upon soon.
The Chinese government provides substantial financial incentives, such as research funding, salaries, and housing, through various talent recruitment programs to attract overseas Chinese and foreign experts to work in China’s science and technology industries.
Through these initiatives, the CCP aims to quickly transform China into a dominant force in industry and innovation, surpassing Western nations in the long run.
The Thousand Talents Plan program was launched in 2008 and went undercover after U.S. authorities uncovered its true purpose in 2018.
According to the FBI’s website, all of China’s talent programs provide incentives for participants to engage in the theft of foreign technology.
The site emphasizes that while the United States embraces international cooperation in research and development, American businesses must take steps to safeguard their intellectual property and recognize that talent programs encourage illegal conduct.
“Even if talent plan participants who steal information are eventually caught and prosecuted, the damage done to your organization by intellectual property theft may be irreversible,” the FBI warns.
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