XPost: talk.politics.guns, alt.security.espionage, alt.fan.rush-limbaugh
XPost: sac.politics, or.politics

The Chinese Communist Party has taken an interest in
Michigan—particularly Camp Grayling, a military training facility about
200 miles north of Detroit.

The FBI has leveled related conspiracy charges against five Chinese
nationals, but the activities in question happened last year and the
FBI’s court filing doesn’t disclose their whereabouts. This suggests the bureau is at least one step behind the five.

Fortunately, House-passed legislation now before the Senate could stop
such activities before they occur.

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Such proposals are necessary. According to reports, the FBI has
documented more than one incident of a Chinese national who is or was a
foreign exchange student in the U.S. and took photographs of “vital
defense sites” while here.

The five Chinese nationals charged by the FBI studied at the University
of Michigan as part of an exchange program with Shanghai Jiao Tong
University. In August 2023, court filings say, they were found after
midnight with cameras and other recording equipment near military
vehicles around Camp Grayling.

At the time, military officials were conducting exercises that included personnel from Taiwan. The Chinese students took photos near classified equipment, local media reported.

Rep. John Moolenaar, R-Mich., chairman of the House Select Committee on
the Chinese Communist Party, referred to China’s ruling party in a
formal statement: “This case shows once again that CCP espionage can
happen anywhere in America and we must be vigilant. The CCP obviously
has an interest in Camp Grayling.”

But it gets worse. Records show that after some of these Chinese
nationals were stopped later at the Detroit airport, officials found
photos of military vehicles on one individual’s hard drive. The FBI
engaged others at the Chicago airport and found more evidence that they
took photos of military equipment.

Investigators since have uncovered messages on a messaging platform in
which the former students talked about trying to delete the images.
Prosecutors accused them of misleading investigators, bringing what
Moolenaar calls “espionage-related charges” over the stated plan to
remove evidence from their mobile devices.

The students graduated in May. As of Thursday, their locations were
unknown, according to MLive, a Michigan news outlet that includes The
Ann Arbor News.

Meanwhile, Congress continues to consider proactive measures to rein in
the Chinese government’s exploitation of college campuses.

The House last month passed a bill sponsored by Rep. August Pfluger,
R-Texas, that would prohibit support from the U.S. Department of
Homeland Security to any university that has a relationship with a
Confucius Institute and other Chinese entities of concern such as the
Thousand Talents Program. (Confucius Institutes are Chinese language and culture programs that gave the Chinese Communist Party undue influence
on college campuses and in other institutions.)

Congressional lawmakers already have restricted spending for colleges
that host Confucius Institutes; many of the institutes changed their
name or closed entirely. Even so, research and advocacy organizations
such as the National Association of Scholars and Parents Defending
Education have found that so-called Confucius Classrooms still exist on
nearly two dozen military bases and in more than 160 U.S. education institutions. The FBI lists the Thousand Talents Program as part of its
efforts against CCP espionage.

Although Pfluger’s legislation isn’t the last word on blocking the
Chinese Communist Party, the provisions provide more scrutiny and
oversight on postsecondary institutions’ relationships with
organizations and schools in China.

State lawmakers should consider similar proposals.

Last year in Florida, Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican, signed three
bills limiting the influence of countries of concern such as China,
including legislation blocking state colleges from soliciting or
accepting gifts in their official capacities from a country of concern.
The legislation also prohibits storing “sensitive data” on servers “that might be owned by entities affiliated with the CCP.”

Since it appears that all five former students charged in the Michigan
case were present in the U.S. and affiliated with the University of
Michigan as part of a joint program with a Chinese university, a
restriction on ties with Chinese schools may have proved an effective
defense.

Americans shouldn’t have to wait for investigators to play catch-up. Lawmakers already have legislative tools that could help prevent foreign
agents from engaging in conspiracy against the U.S. in the first place.

https://www.dailysignal.com/2024/10/04/lets-not-stop-at-charging-5-students-from-china-with-conspiracy/

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