Two Chinese Agents Sentenced to 30 Months
Two Chinese nationals received prison terms for acting as agents of China's government, as Trump says U.S. spies on China and Russia.
Updated on Nov. 2, 2026 in Terrorism
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Liren 'Ryan' Lai, 40, and Yuance Chen, 39, were each sentenced to 30 months in prison for conspiring to act as agents of the Chinese government without notifying the U.S. Attorney General. Separately, President Trump said at a campaign rally in Iowa that the U.S. conducts intelligence operations against China and Russia and performs them better than its adversaries.
Why it matters
The case illustrates alleged Chinese efforts to recruit intelligence sources within the U.S. military and to gather information on military installations and personnel. Trump's remarks add a public acknowledgment of U.S. intelligence activity against those same adversaries.
Both defendants, Liren 'Ryan' Lai, 40, and Yuance Chen, 39, were sentenced to 30 months each after the FBI arrested them on June 27, 2025. The extraction does not indicate any pending appeals or further proceedings in the case.
The players
Donald Trump
The current President of the United States, who made remarks at an Iowa campaign rally acknowledging U.S. intelligence operations against China and Russia.
Liren 'Ryan' Lai
One of two Chinese nationals sentenced to 30 months in prison for conspiring to act as agents of the Chinese government.
Yuance Chen
The second Chinese national sentenced to 30 months in prison for conspiring to act as agents of the Chinese government.
The details
The defendants operated under the direction of China's Ministry of State Security and facilitated secret cash payments in exchange for sensitive information. They attempted to recruit potential intelligence assets within the U.S. military and collected photographs of U.S. military installations, naval personnel and recruitment facilities.
Timeline
January 2022: A clandestine payment of approximately USD 10,000 was made through a dead drop in Livermore, California.
June 27, 2025: The FBI arrested both defendants following a counterintelligence investigation.
October 30, 2026: The Department of Justice announced the sentencing of the two Chinese nationals.
Sunday, November 1, 2026: Trump made his spying remarks at a campaign rally in Iowa.
Tuesday, November 3, 2026: U.S. midterm elections are held.
Legal Context
The charges rest on the requirement to notify the U.S. Attorney General when acting as an agent of a foreign government, a rule the defendants allegedly violated while working for China's Ministry of State Security. The sentences fit within a pattern of federal counterintelligence prosecutions targeting Chinese state-directed recruitment of U.S. military personnel.
Military personnel and facilities are the stated targets of the recruitment and photography efforts, so service members and installation staff have a direct interest in awareness of such approaches. The case also shows that federal authorities are actively prosecuting foreign-directed intelligence collection in the United States.
The takeaway
Foreign intelligence recruitment often relies on small cash payments and quiet contact methods such as dead drops, so reporting unusual approaches from foreign contacts to security officials is a practical safeguard. The case reflects how counterintelligence investigations can lead to federal sentences for conduct that is not overtly violent.
Further reading
For related coverage of foreign intelligence threats, see the Terrorism section.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Economic Times.
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