December
17, 2006: Another Chinese spy has been indicted in the United States. But this
time, the spy was not working for the Chinese government. In fact, the Chinese
appear to have been uninterested in, or too slow in accepting, the stolen technology.
The accused spy, Xiaodong Sheldon Meng, is actually a naturalized Canadian
citizen, having emigrated from China. Meng stole graphics software used for
military training simulators (like the stuff long used in flight simulators,
but now found in ground and sea oriented simulators as well.) Meng tried to
sell the stuff to Thailand, Malaysia and China, but was unable to complete a
transaction before he was caught. Since no transactions were completed, Meng
was changed with "economic espionage," a less serious charge than treason, and
an attempt to illegally export military technilogy.
China's
"thousand grains of sand" intelligence gathering system encourages
Chinese overseas to grab what useful stuff they can, and bring it to China.
There, the government, or Chinese firms approved by the government, buy what
they believe they need.
