Chinese-American engineer charged with stealing General Electric trade secrets to take to China
Xiaoqing Zheng sneaked out turbine technology data by hiding it within the code of a digital photo, the FBI said
A Chinese-American engineer faces charges of stealing valuable technology from General Electric, sneaking it out hidden in a picture of the sunset to take to China, the US Justice Department said.
Xiaoqing Zheng, 55, a US citizen also believed to have Chinese nationality, was scheduled to appear before a judge in Albany, New York, on Thursday, a day after his arrest, federal prosecutors said.
After a four-year investigation, the FBI arrested Zheng after searching his home and finding, among other things, a handbook detailing “resources” Beijing would grant to individuals providing certain technologies.
Zheng’s arrest comes as US President Donald Trump intensifies the trade war with Beijing, largely over complaints that China steals US technology or obliges American companies to share know-how in exchange for doing business in the country.
Trump imposed punishing tariffs on tens of billions in Chinese imports and plans more to increase the pressure on Beijing to correct the pervasive industrial espionage.
US investigators believe Zheng may have begun stealing thousands of files containing GE’s industrial secrets as far back as 2014, according to court documents.