Case of US military base spying on Chinese students

In August 2023, five Chinese exchange students at the University of Michigan were indicted on federal charges of spying on U.S. military forces at Camp Grayling, a military installation located in the U.S. state of Michigan, during maneuvers involving Taiwanese participation. forces. Information from Taiwan News.

Last year, the students were seen near Camp Grayling during a military exercise involving approximately 7,000 military personnel, including some from Taiwan.

Last Tuesday (the 1st), the five Chinese nationals were charged with conspiracy, tampering with evidence and making false statements to federal agents in a report. WDIV 4From Detroit. Although the investigation lasted more than a year, the students were allowed to graduate and return to China before charges were officially filed.

An FBI special agent said the cameras were located near military vehicles, tents and sensitive communications equipment.

The group told officials they were members of “the media” and were taking photographs of the meteor shower. They also said that they were not aware of military exercises taking place nearby.

A US sergeant allegedly confronted the individuals and ordered them to leave the area where critical military equipment and live-fire exercises were underway, according to the document.

All five are accused of lying to investigators about their reason for visiting the military area and conspiring to destroy evidence from their cellphones. However, they were not charged with crimes related to their presence on the military installation.

The accused are said to be students from Shanghai Jiao Tong University and participants in a two-year undergraduate exchange program at the University of Michigan.