Objectives
It is believed that Chinese espionage is aimed at gaining commercial, technological, and military secrets.
Two diplomats who defected in Australia have claimed that China operates more than 1,000 spies and informants in Australia alone; their mission, they said, is industrial espionage but also disruption of the Falun Gong movement. China accused them of lying so they could stay in Australia. Canadian businessman Joe Wang believes that threatening letters he received after broadcasting programs about alleged human rights abuses in China were from the Chinese consulate; one of the envelopes contained boric acid. In November 2005 the United States arrested four people in Los Angeles on suspicion of being involved in a Chinese spy ring.
Taiwanese-American scientist Wen Ho Lee (born in Nantou, Taiwan 21 December 1939) was accused and investigated on the grounds of espionage in 1999 but was acquitted of all charges except for mishandling classified data. Chinese "Subtle Spying" practice avoids and defends against the United States' prosecution-heavy investigative counterintelligence procedures by introducing large elements of plausible deniability and obfuscating the line between deliberate and unintentional espionage activities.
Read more about this topic: Chinese Intelligence Activity Abroad
Famous quotes containing the word objectives:
“Along the journey we commonly forget its goal. Almost every vocation is chosen and entered upon as a means to a purpose but is ultimately continued as a final purpose in itself. Forgetting our objectives is the most frequent stupidity in which we indulge ourselves.”
—Friedrich Nietzsche (1844–1900)