Reporting by Fox News and The National Desk shows that U.S. law enforcement and intelligence agencies uncovered a series of China-linked espionage and infiltration cases throughout 2025. The cases spanned the theft of military secrets, research-related toxin smuggling, cyber intrusions, and efforts to recruit active-duty U.S. service members. U.S. officials said the incidents point to a coordinated, long-running campaign operating across multiple domains rather than isolated cases.
Disclosed cases include the conviction of a former active-duty U.S. service member for selling sensitive Navy information to Chinese intelligence; the arrest of several Chinese nationals accused of attempting to recruit active-duty military personnel and smuggle hazardous toxins into the United States; and the dismantling of what federal authorities described as a “hacker-for-hire” system operating under the direction of Chinese intelligence services.
Military secrets and recruitment efforts targeting the armed forces
In one of the most closely watched cases, a federal jury convicted former U.S. Navy sailor Jinchao Wei, also known as Patrick Wei. Prosecutors said he sought to sell military information involving national security to a Chinese intelligence officer for $12,000.
Separately, the U.S. Department of Justice disclosed that in July it disrupted a covert intelligence network operating inside the United States under the control of China’s Ministry of State Security. The network allegedly sought to recruit active-duty U.S. military personnel through cash payments and other inducements. U.S. officials described such direct, one-on-one recruitment efforts as among the most damaging and high-risk tactics used by Chinese intelligence services.
Research infiltration and toxin smuggling raise biosecurity concerns
Beyond traditional military and intelligence activities, several cases disclosed in 2025 heightened concerns over U.S. biosecurity and what authorities described as potential “agro-terrorism.”
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According to court records released by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Michigan, Yunqing Jian, a Chinese national, pleaded guilty to smuggling a biological pathogen into the United States while working at a laboratory at the University of Michigan. She was sentenced to time served before being deported to China.
Federal prosecutors said Jian’s boyfriend, Zunyong Liu, attempted to bring the pathogen—identified as Fusarium graminearum—into the United States through Detroit Metropolitan Airport so it could be used for research at the same laboratory. The fungus is known to cause severe crop disease and significant economic losses, and its toxins can pose risks to both human and animal health.
Authorities said the case illustrates how academic and research environments can be exploited to bypass biosecurity controls, raising broader concerns about the misuse of university-affiliated research channels for unauthorized transfers of sensitive biological materials.
Cyber intrusions, land purchases, and warnings of multi-dimensional threats
Cyberspace also emerged as a major arena of U.S.-China intelligence confrontation in 2025. FBI cybersecurity officials said a China-linked hacking group known as “Salt Typhoon” infiltrated at least 200 U.S. companies, including critical infrastructure-related firms such as AT&T, Verizon, and Charter Communications. Investigators said the group sought not only commercial and government data but also attempted to access law enforcement wiretapping systems and information related to members of Congress.
In March, the Justice Department announced it had dismantled what it described as a “hacker-for-hire ecosystem” directed by Chinese intelligence officers. The system relied on private firms and contract hackers to carry out cyberattacks, obscuring direct government involvement.
At the physical level, land purchases by China-linked entities inside the United States have also raised security concerns. One case involved the acquisition of a trailer park located directly adjacent to Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri, home to U.S. B-2 stealth bombers.
Michael Lucci, founder of State Armor Action and a prominent advocate for tougher policies on China, said that activities ranging from pathogen smuggling and land purchases near strategic military installations to the sale of technology with potential “remote shutdown” risks to the U.S. power grid collectively pose a multi-dimensional challenge to domestic security.
Lucci said the cases made public represent “only the tip of the iceberg” and urged lawmakers at all levels to move more quickly to address what he described as influence operations, espionage, and potential sabotage linked to China. He said the United States must recognize that these activities are not accidental but part of a long-term strategy.
