China is top intelligence threat to US, report says
China's intelligence services are the most active in the world in spying on the United States and are aggressively targeting advanced technology, a US intelligence official said.
Joel Brenner, the new head of the Office of National Counterintelligence Executive, told The Washington Times the intelligence services of Cuba, Russia and Iran were next in line.
'These services are eating our lunch,' he was quoted as saying.
Chinese intelligence was conducting a 'very aggressive' campaign to acquire advanced US technology, often acquiring it before it was fully developed. 'The technology bleed to China, among others, is a very serious problem,' he said, adding that the FBI was improving its efforts to identify and protect sensitive technology.
Mr Brenner's office is conducting a damage assessment of the case of Katrina Leung, a Los Angeles businesswoman and FBI informant who the government alleged in 2003 was a spy for Beijing. Espionage charges were later dropped and she pleaded guilty to lesser charges in 2005.
But Mr Brenner said Ms Leung, who had a sexual relationship with two senior FBI counterintelligence agents, was being run as an agent by Chinese intelligence.
