In another shocking national security breach, two Chinese nationals have been arrested for attempting to infiltrate U.S. Navy bases and gather intelligence on American military personnel. The incident highlights the growing danger posed by foreign adversaries conducting espionage operations right here on U.S. soil. Under the Biden administration, threats like these have too often gone unchecked, but with President Donald Trump back in office, those days are over. Under his leadership, national security is once again a top priority.
FBI Director Kash Patel announced that two individuals—Yuance Chen from Oregon and Liren Lai from Houston, who was in the U.S. on a tourist visa—have been arrested for allegedly spying on the U.S. Navy. According to the FBI, the pair were working on behalf of the Chinese government to gather intelligence on American military personnel and naval bases. In addition to collecting sensitive information, they also attempted to recruit U.S. service members to assist China’s primary foreign intelligence agency, the Ministry of State Security (MSS).
Patel promised that “Espionage on U.S. soil will be met with full force.” He stated that the arrests show the FBI’s strong commitment to national security, confirming that the suspects were working for China’s intelligence services.
“Our FBI won’t stand for it. We tracked them, we stopped them, and we’re not done yet,” he wrote on X.
In 2022, the Chinese nationals were also accused of helping arrange a covert cash drop of at least $10,000 on behalf of the MSS. According to officials, they coordinated with others in the U.S. to place a backpack containing the money in a day-use locker located in Livermore, California.
The Department of Justice reports that in 2022 and 2023, the two men visited a U.S. Navy base in Washington State and a recruitment center in California. While there, they allegedly took photographs of a bulletin board displaying the names, training programs, and hometowns of Navy recruits. Notably, several recruits had "China" listed as their hometown. Those images were then reportedly sent to an intelligence officer with China’s Ministry of State Security.
The Department of Justice revealed that China’s Ministry of State Security (MSS) may have coached the two men on how to approach Navy recruits, advising them on how to discuss possible payments from the MSS, preferred roles within the Navy, and ways to reduce Chen’s chances of being discovered. According to the DOJ, Chen used social media to communicate with a U.S. Navy service member and even coordinated a tour of the USS Abraham Lincoln in San Diego with that individual. He later shared details about the Navy employee with the MSS.
According to the complaint, Chen met with Chinese intelligence officers in Guangzhou in 2024 and 2025 to discuss payment for tasks. Meanwhile, Lai claimed he was in Houston for business in April 2025 but was later seen traveling to California and back to Texas, staying in the U.S. far longer than stated.
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