America has a 'headache' trying to find a way to deal with Chinese spies at the FBI

The discovery of a Chinese “spy” working in the FBI (one of America’s most important security agencies) has sent shockwaves across the country.

Former FBI agent “pleads guilty”

On August 1, Kun Shan Chun (46 years old), a former technical officer of the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), admitted in the Federal Court in Manhattan to being a "spy" for China.

Kun Shan Chun, also known as Joey Chun, was born in 1969 in Guangdong (China). Chun came to the United States in 1980, and became a naturalized American citizen in 1985. Since 1997, Chun has worked for the FBI in the New York office. He was arrested in March, but the press only had information about this case on August 1.

Mr. Kun Shan Chun after leaving Manhattan federal court (New York, USA) on August 1. (Photo: NYDN).

Mr. Chun testified in court that from 2011 to 2016, he repeatedly passed sensitive information to a Chinese official. “I know I did wrong, and I deeply regret my actions,” he said.

Prosecutors allege that Chun revealed the identity and work schedule of an FBI agent, took pictures of documents in a restricted area containing details about FBI surveillance technology, and transferred them on his personal phone. Chun also transferred an organizational chart of the FBI’s personnel structure.

Prosecutors also allege that Chun repeatedly lied to the FBI about his relationships with Chinese officials and other Chinese citizens.

According to the indictment, while traveling to Europe in 2011, Chun met with a Chinese official who asked him to provide “sensitive, nonpublic FBI information.” The espionage charge carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, but if he pleads guilty, he could face a sentence of 21 to 27 months.

Ring the alarm bells

Recently, the number of "Chinese spies" discovered in the United States has increased, becoming an alarming phenomenon in this country, American experts said in a hearing of the Washington Administration in early June.

American experts believe that China has collected a lot of important information around the world through espionage and cyber attacks. Chinese espionage mainly focuses on "stealing" confidential information in trade and high technology.

The US issued arrest warrants in 2014 for five Chinese military hackers accused of stealing trade secrets from US companies. (photo: atimes.com).

In an article published in Observer Politics, security expert John Schindler, a former official of the US National Security Agency (NSA), said that the level of influence from the information Chun provided to China is still unclear.

But given Chun's position, including his access to classified documents during his long tenure at the FBI, the impact could be severe, Schindler said.

This is not the first time the FBI has been outwitted by Chinese spies, added expert John Schindle. Previously, there was a case of Edward Lin, a US Navy lieutenant, who was arrested last year on charges of three attempts to smuggle documents overseas, including to China.

“The rise of Chinese espionage is a serious problem for the United States,” Mr. Schindle said. “The Chinese government often uses its citizens abroad to spy for them, and many of them are quite willing to do so, especially if the Chinese government offers them financial incentives.”

The Counterintelligence Center CI has counted 160 Chinese spies discovered in the US from 1985 to 2016. Former FBI agent, now Director of the CI Center David Major, said that China is the biggest intelligence threat to the US.

China often combines cyber attacks with its intelligence “spies” abroad to steal secret information.

“The number of FBI investigations and arrests for industrial espionage and export control violations is at an all-time high, and the majority of these cases involve the Chinese government,” said Michele Van Cleave, former executive director of the National Counterterrorism and Security Center.

In particular, from 2014 to 2015, economic espionage cases detected by the FBI increased by 53%, and the number of espionage cases under investigation is in the hundreds.

America has a "headache" dealing with this

The loss of a list of 22 million US government employees, including those with access to classified information, could have become a “gold mine” for the Chinese military to exploit to gain access to these people.

China now has a detailed list of most, if not all, of the people working for the U.S. government who have access to classified information, and they can coerce, threaten, or recruit those officials to spy, said Van Cleave, former executive director of the National Counterterrorism and Security Center.

Additionally, by analyzing stolen data on the foreign residence and travel of US officials, China could identify and disrupt US intelligence networks operating abroad.

To counter Chinese espionage, US security and defense journalist Bill Gertz suggests raising awareness of Chinese intelligence operations and conducting robust counterintelligence. Counterintelligence operations should include a strategy of recruiting Chinese intelligence officers themselves to identify and disrupt enemy espionage operations.

According to VOV