DURING BILL WALKER TALKS WITH CHINA, ALASKA STATE COMPUTERS ATTACKED BY CHINA UNIVERSITY
The Department of Justice said on Monday the China Ministry of State Security has used at least one fake think tank and U.S. universities to recruit and manage a network of spies in the United States that involve professors, researchers, and law enforcement.
“Over the past week, the Justice Department has taken several actions to disrupt criminal activity by individuals working on behalf of the government of the People’s Republic of China,” U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland said.
In an indictment, the Justice Department accused Wang Lin and three others of systematic efforts to recruit professors at U.S. universities, as well as former federal law enforcement officials, a state homeland security official, and others, to spy on the U.S. on behalf of the Institute for International Studies at Ocean University of China, which is a fake think tank, and false front for intelligence operations.
Among the operations underway by the China spy network was an effort to force repatriation of Chinese political dissidents living in the United States.
Cases unveiled so far show “the threat the PRC (People’s Republic of China) government poses to our institutions and the rights of people in the United States,” said Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division.
Alaska had brushes with Chinese spying during the Walker Administration. The Chinese government, which signed loan agreements with former Gov. Bill Walker in 2017, would have established Alaska as a “debt trap” province of communist Chinese entities. China began spying on State of Alaska computers during Walker’s overtures to President Xi Jinping, as part of Walker’s quest to get financing for the Alaska Gasline.
During the 2017 Walker-China trade mission and negotiations, Alaska’s state government computers were targeted by China, both before and after Walker traveled to China to get investment agreements from entities owned by the communist government. The hackers were based at a university in Beijing, according to a cyber security firm.
“We also identified network reconnaissance activities being conducted from the same Tsinghua University infrastructure targeting many geopolitical organizations, including the State of Alaska Government, Alaska’s Department of Natural Resources, the United Nations office in Nairobi, and the Kenya Ports Authority. Additionally, we identified the targeted scanning of German automotive multinational Daimler AG that began a day after it cut its profit outlook for the year, citing the growing trade tensions between the U.S. and China. In several cases, these activities occurred during periods of Chinese dialogue for economic cooperation with these countries or organizations,” reported the cyber security company that uncovered the scheme.
Key findings from that security report concluded that Tsinghua University “engaged in network reconnaissance targeting organizations in Alaska, Kenya, Brazil, and Mongolia during times of economic dialogue or publicity around China’s investment in foreign infrastructure projects concerning China’s flagship Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). Further, the company reported that “The network reconnaissance activity against Alaskan organizations increased following the governor of Alaska’s trade delegation trip to China in late May.”
The communist Chinese use of think tanks and universities to steal American technology and innovation also has come through programs such as the Thousand Talents Program.
In 2020, director of the “talents” program was caught using approximately $4.1 million in grants from National Institutes of Health to develop China’s expertise in the areas of rheumatology and immunology. After being interviewed by the FBI, the Chinese scientist fled Columbus, Ohio, where he had been working at Ohio State University, and was arrested by federal agents in Anchorage, while trying to board a jet and escape back to China. Read more here.
The latest arrests of Chinese spies in the U.S. come at the same time that China President Xi Jinping has wrapped up the 20th Congress of the Chinese Communist Party and secured his third five-year term, consolidating power like no other Chinese president before him since Mao Zedong. Over the weekend, Xi forced the retirement of party members who were not considered loyal enough, and replaced them with handpicked members. He now controls the governing committee of the Communist Party and has few checks on his dictatorial powers.
While former Gov. Walker was making deals with Xi, the Chinese dictator was rolling out the forced repatriation program: Operation Fox Hunt, in which he targeted Chinese nationals to force them back to China, by kidnapping, if necessary.
Wang Lin, arrested last week by the Justice Department, had been part of Operation Fox Hunt from 1997 through at least 2018, according to Department of Justice court filings. He and another Chinese national were arrested Oct. 20.
“China describes [Operation] Fox Hunt as some kind of international anti-corruption campaign. It is not. Instead, Fox Hunt is a sweeping bid by Xi to target Chinese nationals who he sees as threats and who live outside of China, across the world. We’re talking about political rivals, dissidents, and critics seeking to expose China’s extensive human rights violations,” said FBI Director Christopher Wray in 2020.
“As these cases demonstrate, the government of China sought to interfere with the rights and freedoms of individuals in the United States and to undermine our judicial system that protects those rights. They did not succeed. The Justice Department will not tolerate attempts by any foreign power to undermine the Rule of Law upon which our democracy is based. We will continue to fiercely protect the rights guaranteed to everyone in our country. And we will defend the integrity of our institutions,” said Garland.
In one of the cases revealed in the indictments, Chinese operatives targeted a professor who was also a former law enforcement and homeland security official. The spies paid for the professor’s trips to China in 2008 and 2018, and attempted to get sensitive fingerprint technology and information from the professor.
“In three separate cases in the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices for the Eastern District of New York and the District of New Jersey, the Justice Department charged 13 individuals, including members of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) security and intelligence apparatus and their agents, for alleged efforts to unlawfully exert influence in the United States for the benefit of the government of the PRC,” the Justice Department wrote.
The indictment in New York included eight counts charging seven Chinese nationals, who of whom were arrest in New York, with participating in a scheme to cause the forced repatriation of a Chinese national residing in the United States. Other defendants remain at large.
In the District of New Jersey, another indictment charges four Chinese nationals, including three Ministry of State Security (MSS) intelligence officers, in connection with a long-running intelligence campaign targeting individuals in the United States to act as agents of the PRC.
“The actions announced today take place against a backdrop of malign activity from the government of the People’s Republic of China that includes espionage, attempts to disrupt our justice system, harassment of individuals, and ongoing efforts to steal sensitive U.S. technology,” said Deputy Attorney General Lisa O. Monaco.
“These indictments of PRC intelligence officers and government officials – for trying to obstruct a U.S. trial of a Chinese company, masquerading as university professors to steal sensitive information, and trying to strong-arm a victim into returning to China – again expose the PRC’s outrageous behavior within our own borders,” said FBI Director Wray.
Read the Department of Justice release here.
This gift keeps on giving
At this point I would assume anyone with ties to China are spies of some nature.
We had one at M.D Anderson caught with scores of thumb drives full of research data, along with kiddie porn, right around when the PRC spy nest/ consulatefor Houston got shut down
The one who got caught at the airport on his way home had been a visiting “guest scientist” obviously sent to steal everything he could. He got PNG’d and shipped out without his data storage, which got confiscated
How can you swear an oath on our Bible and live like these shameless corrupt cowards of the lunar. Can you imagine walkers face when he see’s Jesus and the book of life let’s his deeds be know. I’m sick of coward oath breakers who hide behind cameras and rape our country murder our soldiers crap on our police. They can’t police themselves LORD STOP THEM.
Must be living on another planet. The Chinese have been doing this for years. China increased activity under Trump. The supplying of parts for the Iraq and Afghanistan War greatly increased China’s wealth. Trump thought the Chinese gas pipeline would ease our trade balance. Zero interest rates and massive debt is not a recipe for success. COVID did not help the situation either. Back to the drawing board on this post.
Trump stood up to China and as a result a trade war almost ensued. But, China was backpedaling and Trump was getting the upper hand. Then came Biden…before that Hillary who sold top secret information via her private computer servers. Notice how China’s latest aircraft carriers and fighter jets look a lot like ours??? Thank you Hillary.
I don’t like or trust Bill Walker, but in his defense, trusting ANYTHING that the DOJ under Merrick Garland has to say, along with his enforcement goons, is fraught with peril and patently unwise. It is fairly certain that there is some truth to what they say, but their waiting until now to say it or do anything about it is something about which one can be rightfully suspicious. Add to that, that Garland directly spews recognizable lies within his press release/quote, and that he either apparently lacks sufficient acumen to state that we live in a constitutional republic, or he is despicably pushing some predictive programming on mob rule.
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These evil clowns have dashed the DOJ’s credibility on the rocks. The truth is mutilated like the kids these days, and Justice is a word in the dictionary that has no meaning to those who draw fat salary under its name.
GUARD?
Walker was one dumb governor. A liar and an apologist to our enemy. The only thing he was successful at was getting the ADN to keep quiet when his soul partner, Byron Mallott, was discovered to be a pedophile. And to this day, Walker steers far away from that issue. Reject Bill Walker.
Well researched and well documented article, Suzanne. Another reason why MRAK is on the leading edge of Alaska’s news services.
The information given here is merely the tip of the tip of a huge iceberg that is the government treachery of Xi’s China. It is impossible to relate the full extent of China’s infiltration into education, government, and industry within the USA. Even so, the USA needs to take immediate and broad moves to root out China’s networks of spies and corrupting influencers, and to wholly eliminate our nation’s dependence on China’s resources and manufactures. Unfortunately for us, the character who now resides in the White House is not the leader who can make this happen.
Meanwhile, I urge one and all to avoid purchasing any products imported from China. For me, this has been both a challenge and a source of personal satisfaction. I do not want a dollar of my money going to China, where that dollar would enrich the most tyrannical and hostile government on Earth. And let us never forget, China’s Wuhan virus lab is the likeliest source of the coronavirus that has sickened and killed billions of people around the world.
Good stuff Suzanne! Too bad not everyone wants to read about facts and findings these days. 🙁
Please, lets all chip in to buy a one-way ticket to China for Walker and revoke his US citizenship…he lost his right to be an American when he got chummy with communist China.
Even with the current shortage, bullets are cheaper
So, the question is, will Alaska be again held accountable to honor the agreements signed by Walker should he again be Governor? Seems as though it has merit to become legally binding. A matter for the State Department.
Isn’t California Congressman Eric Swallwell still on the US Intelligence Committee, even after he was found to be sleeping with the enemy? His paramour, Fang Fang, had to flee to China to avoid federal prosecution, but Swalwell is still deemed trustworthy enough to handle state secrets! Our country is becoming hopelessly corrupt!
Keep on walking, Walker.
He is counting on a split vote under the new system.
We don’t need Chinese spies to disrupt our legal system or our economy. We already have George Soros, et al, doing that.
So the Trump Intelligence Operation was clueless on this ? Trump touted the gas line plan with China. Yes Walker has some blame but do not forget Trump was supportive of the plan. Plenty of blame to go around. Trump acknowledged our trade problem with China but did little fearing a stock market collapse. Remember how much American investment is within China’s borders and how many products are sold to Chinese consumers. Trump said he wanted balanced budgets and blew the budget deficit to an extreme.
You have a very serious case of TDS. It’s all messed up ’cause orange man bad. Give it a rest troll.
They’re here right now at UA. Chinese moles stealing our intellectual property and technology. Been going on for decades.
They live part time at Walker’s home. They taught Bill to bow and belch from his tailpipe. That’s why he likes drygas.
My worst nightmare is that Bill Walker or Les Gara is elected Governor of Alaska. Yet both are polling about 20% each. If either one gets in Alaskans will be in big trouble with high taxes and low or no PFDs. There will be an uptick in the Crime and Alaska will resemble California, a state in which everyone who can afford it is getting out. Even cities which border LA and San Francisco are seeing a wave of smash and grabs which are driving out businesses. And ask yourself why Walker is still kow-towing to the Chinese. For God’s sake, get to the polls and vote! Rank Red!
California is a grossly dysfunctional and dystopian social and political cesspool, and essentially ALL of that dysfunction can be laid at the feet of the radical leftist extremists who dominate its political system.
Is the term ‘communist Chinese’ the accurate term? China and Chinese are intentional nice terms to describe communist. Communist. Know what that means. Is that willful or ignorant?
Land of the Free?????? Read about Lenin and Marx
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