More Than 1,000 Suspected PLA Agents Flee US After Trump Crackdown
Over 1,000 Chinese researchers have fled America amidst an ongoing crackdown against the communist regime’s underhanded statecraft.
Even better for our national security interests, these “researchers” are believed to be affiliated with the People’s Liberation Army.
The most recent exodus of the Chinese nationals comes after the U.S. Justice Department opened criminal cases against some of the foreign agents, according to Sky News.
The cases reportedly revolve around espionage against America’s industrial and technological secrets.
The pressure against China has been slowly increased by President Donald Trump and has only accelerated as the Asian powerhouse’s lies threw the world into a devastating pandemic.
As recent as Nov. 2, the Trump administration added more restrictions to the growing crackdown against the Communist Party of China and its agents abroad.
According to DOJ National Security Division Chief John Demers, China is the only country with the “resources and ability and will,” to operate an espionage campaign of this scale.
The communist regime’s operations have infiltrated academia and journalism as well, creating a prime environment for pro-China propaganda.
Even our military’s officer corps has seen its own servicemembers compromised by the People’s Republic, with one Navy officer busted last year for smuggling flash drives and hardware to China.
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There are also worries that foreign actors are not only here to steal our secrets but to influence the very people leading America.
“We’ve also seen an uptick, which was planned and we predicted, that China would now revector their influence campaigns to the [Joe Biden] administration,” Director of United States Counterintelligence and Security Center Bill Evanina warned at a cybersecurity summit.
Presumptive president-elect Joe Biden, who has vowed to cooperate with the Chinese regime, is seemingly the perfect target for those trying to conduct an influence operation.
Biden’s ties to China are already strong — the former vice president had several high-level meetings with the country’s leadership during diplomatic missions to the country.
Perhaps the most important friend Biden made was Chinese President Xi Jinping, who was originally a vice president when the two first met.
Now, Xi refers to Biden as “my old friend.”
While Trump’s aggressive crackdown on China’s antics seems to be driving many of the apparent foreign agents away, a change in administration could signal a reversal of the trend.
This opportunity, if it arises, will undoubtedly be exploited by our Asian adversary.
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.
