How China got a spy inside the US Army

“They just told me to get to meet people, some American friends."

CHINA STEALS SECRETS through a “network of defense attachés, academics, and spies operating in and out of China,” according to federal court documents, and one of them was until 2018 serving as a soldier in the U.S. Army.

Ji Chaoqun, a Chinese national, was convicted of espionage last month in Chicago, Illinois. A Justice Department news release touting the verdict revealed that the 31-year-old had worked for years on behalf of China before joining the U.S. Army Reserve in 2016. He faces up to 15 years in prison at sentencing in January 2023.

It certainly won’t end Chinese spying in the United States. But this and a related case have revealed fascinating details on the practice—including the personal diaries, texts, and a never-before-seen document from the Chinese spymaster Ji dealt with. And when reading through evidence revealed in court filings, we can get a sense of Beijing’s recruiting process.