Espionage: China's Thousand Talents Spy Program Reaches NASA, Texas A&M University

PJ Media ^ | 08/26/2020 | Bryan Preston

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The Department of Justice has arrested a Texas A&M engineering professor and accused him of concealing his ties to China. Dr. Zhengdong Cheng is, according to the DOJ, another of many recruits of China’s Thousand Talents Program.

Cheng allegedly led a team conducting research for NASA. According to the criminal complaint, for several years he willfully took steps to obscure his affiliations and collaboration with a Chinese University and at least one Chinese-owned company. The terms of Cheng’s grant prohibited participation, collaboration or coordination with China, any Chinese-owned company or any Chinese University, according to the charges.

And:

The charges allege Cheng and TAMU received funds based on Cheng knowingly providing false information to TAMU and consequently to NASA. In addition to the funds, Cheng personally benefited from his affiliation with TAMU and NASA with increased access to unique NASA resources, such as the International Space Station, according to the complaint. This access allegedly allowed Cheng to further his standing in China at Guangdong University of Technology and other universities. The charges further allege he held senior research positions there unknown to TAMU and NASA and was able to serve in the People’s Republic of China Talents program. China’s Talents Plans are allegedly designed to attract, recruit and cultivate high-level scientific talent in furtherance of China’s scientific development, economic prosperity and national security.

University Chancellor John Sharp issued a statement, saying TAMU worked with the FBI on its investigation of Cheng.

“We worked closely with the FBI on this case, and we gladly will work with them again as needed,” said Chancellor John Sharp of the Texas A&M System. “No one in higher education takes security as seriously as we do at The Texas A&M University System.

[SeekAndFind]

FOR THOSE WHO ARE NOT AWARE:

China's Thousand Talents Program began in 2008 with the goal of recruiting about 2,000 top scientists in key fields to work clandestinely for China. It has reportedly recruited about 7,000 scientists in the United States and around the world, whose cutting-edge work gets funneled into the Chinese military.

[veracious]

DC complicit in giving communists easy access to most everything in USA. Both parties. One is evil the other is lost in space.

[poconopundit]

Thank you for this alert. I had no idea a pervasive program like this existed. It’s scary.

[minnesota_bound]

Don’t hire any foreigners in sensitive jobs along with any who are 1 gen, maybe 2 or 3 generations here in America nor any democrats.

[Tai_Chung]

Anyone keeping track of all the professors arrested for collaborating with China?

[hal ogen]

After a speedy, fair trial and conviction, of course, the traitor should be shot (with his family charged for the bullet).

[Captainpaintball]

There needs to be an auditing of every university for chinese nationals. And then a purge. Send them all back. Then go for the students.

[Attention Surplus Disorder]

Imagine getting some secret something that took tens or hundreds of millions to develop for $500K to some frumpy professor somewhere. It’s kind of the same type of deal where a $2 million donation to the Clinton Foundation gets the donor a $250 million contract. Or a port.