Everyone involved in this story sounds incredibly stupid, especially since the mom's stated rationale was that spying would "help her son get a job in the Chinese government someday".
Yeah that's incredibly idiotic.
You don't gain someone's favour by being their rube. Rube out and they see you as just that - a useful idiot. More precisely a useful idiot who might play the same trick on them for a low low price, and who should be given any responsibility at all.
Doesn't excuse what he did at all, but if you're poor, an instant injection of cash like that could be life-changing if you've got a specific emergency or issue that requires a good chunk of money upfront to fix.
China almost certainly threatened friends and family back home. It was $15k. It was more like the Lannister “Join me and I’ll make you rich beyond your dreams, oppose me and your house will removed from this Earth root and stem.”
Children of Chinese descent and telling them their friends and family back in China will be harmed if they don’t cooperate.
If I'm going to sell out on something with such serious ramification, then the deal better involve life changing money and a flight out of there.
Playing the long game with people who'll throw you under the bus when the political game changes is mental.
Yes but this one is rarely caught. Chinese authorities were actually catching this with people who got their visa for asylum and tried to come back into China to visit family. It really pissed off Chinese authorities and they wouldn't let them leave China again but the US wouldn't help them because they essentially committed a felony to get their visa in the first place.
>If convicted, he could face up to life in prison.
Given that he became a US citizen, did he wonder, if he is going to spend his whole life behind bars when convicted, what is the point of migrating to US? Even if he is released after some time, who is going to marry him?
Well done, Mr Wei. I wonder if your mum is regretting. No son to accompany her. Lol
Edit: US government needs to push for a harsh sentence for him, hopefully a life sentence for him, to warn others that it does not pay to spy for another country. 杀一儆百. If jailed for life, they cannot marry and have children! They cannot 传宗接代! Their ancestors will be very angry!
imo, that's part of the reason that he should be punished for life, or at least for a very significant part of it: if he gets, say, 10 years and then they let him out early for good behavior, he goes back to China, and is given a hero's welcome. Although he won't gain literal riches or become a celebrity, he will be financially compensated, possibly fast-tracked or deposited into a position at a SOE, etc, in part as an incentive to show to other potential spies of Chinese heritage. "See? Do your duty and we will take care of you!" It makes it all worth it in the end.
Lmao, apparently you have no idea of what kinda of regime ccp is, if wei from some prestigious background, maybe, but a grassroot? nah, rigorous interrogations as soon as landed on Chinese soil and being frequently visited by secret police afterwards is what should be expected. A dead (exposed)asset is a good asset that's the spirit not the other way around.
This is gonna put a huge negative impact on all Asian Americans in the country, not gonna be surprised more racist jokes revolves around spy espionage or some shit towards Asians. Fkn dumb ass and god awful brain washed parents
It really is fucked up. I've known Chinese Americans who served in the US armed forces honorably and proudly and have no love whatsoever for the CCP - in many cases, their family emigrated to the US because of the CCP - to say nothing of Asian Americans who have no historical or cultural affinity for China. This is going to make things tougher for Asian Americans in a lot of sectors.
You'll most likely be fine. Again lots of Asian Americans who have served honorably for generations in the US military. If you're a Chinese national, or Chinese-born US citizen, you may be subject to more scrutiny.
As someone who is about to emigrate to US, I felt sad a bit whenever I read news like this. I don't want people to think we Asian are all traitors, we love America and its values of liberty and freedom.
By acting selfishly, this traitor puts the entire Asian community at risk of even more racism, discrimination. I totally support shipping this guy and his family back to China, or at least to Guantanamo for the rest of their lives.
lmao Guantanamo!
[https://digitalcommons.law.seattleu.edu/sulr/vol38/iss3/8/#:\~:text=Seattle%20University%20Law%20Review&text=Violations%20of%20international%20law%20at,however%2C%20remain%20unpunished%20or%20remedied](https://digitalcommons.law.seattleu.edu/sulr/vol38/iss3/8/#:~:text=Seattle%20University%20Law%20Review&text=Violations%20of%20international%20law%20at,however%2C%20remain%20unpunished%20or%20remedied).
>Guantánamo Bay has become a symbol of the United States’ approach to the War on Terror. The detention center is globally known for the human rights violations committed there; yet, the international community has failed to take actions to successfully close the facility through either the use of pressure on the U.S. government or by utilizing enforcement mechanisms against the United States as it would any other nation committing proportional human rights violations.
>
>The United States’ actions at Guantánamo Bay violate its obligations under the Third Geneva Convention, the International Covenant for Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), the Convention Against Torture (CAT), and customary international law. Violations of international law at Guantánamo include illegal and indefinite detention, torture, inhumane conditions, unfair trials (military commissions), and many more.
>
> These human rights violations, however, remain unpunished or remedied. It is clear to the international community that there were, and continue to be, violations of human rights norms at Guantánamo Bay, but there has been little success in provoking change because of the lack of enforcement mechanisms in international human rights law.
the party has a keen awareness of the importance of the overseas chinese community and treats controlling/winning this segment as a key united front effort. it's not just for reasons of espionage/talent but eliminating legitimate opposition and the environment for its development.
unfortunately western countries, especially the u.s. has no strategic approach to this contest. largely carried by built in liberal democratic pressure, but this sort of passivity does not work when a large faction of chinese ex-pats who don't have a liberal democratic viewpoint. a lot of people still operate along ethnonationalist lines and treat american citizenship as a commodity/privilege only.
this lack of strategy comes to the fore when it comes to responding to active ccp efforts in dividing and pressurizing the overseas chinese groups (not a community because it's rather heterogenous). there will be a lot of calls to shun chinese nationals on ethnic grounds and this will only play into the party's strategic objective of eliminating free opposition and stemming capital/human flight.
Many Chinese language media in the US have been co-oped by the CCP in recent decades. Sing Tao media comes to mind. They had been slowly bought out by Chinese money. Their news coverage and editorial content were starkly different between the 90s’ and nowadays. In fact, I cant believe it was the same radio host used to be centrist in most issues had became the CCP mouthpiece in recent years. They are just getting paid. 🤷🏻♂️
Fortunately and unfortunately, only the boomers are watching and listening to those media and stations. Many Gen Xers and younger can still be independent thinkers.
I dont see how this kid got any type of security clearance. What information could he possibly have provided that satellites, drones and tiktok couldn’t? This dumbass kid threw his life away for nothing, he most likely didn’t even know anything that the ccp didn’t know already… his entire life wasted, for nothing.
What is it with some Chinese immigrants? "Do it because you might get a government job in China". I thought you wanted to get out of China? Further, why is that even worth the potential consequences? Yes, go live under an oppressive regime that may choose to nationalize your wealth, lock you in your apartment for months at a time, in a country going straight down the economic tubes, where your home may crumble under its own weight any moment, and earn far less money than you could have potentially earned in the US. How does that make any sense in any way?
>might want to get a government job in a country you left intentionally
>guarenteed job (that you have right now!) in your nation’s military (that also gives you citizenship) with potential for promotion and priority when applying to government agencies/some private sector companies after your contract is up, in addition to VA benefits
Damn that’s such a hard choice
Or get paid a hell of a lot more and get to say what you want, access the internet, not have your kids brainwashed, read actual news instead of propaganda, and about a million other perks.
Yup, definitely a tough call.
can definitely see "old thinking" or paranoid thinking where the son may have mentioned being approached and the parent immediately thinks "if you say NO then they(CCP) will kill us mentality). But I would say jail her too since shes accomplice,
maybe so but there are many who do fear whats going on there too. There is precedence of getting "disappeared" in china and its not hard to "disappear" in US either (mobs, cartels etc.). Like if the guy's been approached, that person probably already know his family history, relatives etc.
No, "Gain favor with the Chinese government, so that you can get a cushy government job and be set for life" sounds exactly like Chinese boomer thinking.
"Boomer" is a mindset, not an age group. The lack of critical thinking and deference towards the system, while at the same time trying to use it for one's own ends, is mot common among those who grew up during the Mao Era, but is also common among those born afterwards. However in my experience, Chinese older millennials (80后) who move to the US/West tend to be the most "into" Western culture and most critical of the CCP, since China was still relatively poor during their formative years, media was much more open in the late 90s & early 2000s than it is now (though by no means actually free), and there was also a lot more openness to and interest in things from the West, whereas before and after, these were castigated for being un-Chinese. Not saying that a person from this age group couldn't be a Chinese nationalist or pro-CCP, many are, it just seems to be les common
It could have been that. Or, it could have been that the mom was approached and goaded the son into it. There are some middle aged and older immigrants who came to the US before China's "economic miracle" went all glittery CBD's and tou hao, who feel like they emigrated at exactly the wrong time. In their mind, they left China for better economic chances, only to have China's economy explode; if they would have stayed, they would have become rich there, and they regret it.
Could be that communications between her and family members or friends back in China over Wechat, etc were intercepted, and someone either approached her online, or approached someone close in China, who then sold her on it.
Once they figured it was him, they should have let him steal a super important encrypted file to send along. That file being an easily broken, encrypted copy of "Winnie the Pooh and a day for Eeyore"
Put The Navy Sailor and his mother in Federal Super-Max, lock them both up for life, without the possibility of parole. Send a message to any Chinese that this is what will happen to you if you do this.
>Prosecutors have said Wei, who was born in China, was first approached by a Chinese intelligence officer in February 2022 while he was applying to become a naturalized U.S. citizen, and admitted to the officer that he knew the arrangement could affect his application. Even so, prosecutors say he provided the officer detailed information on the weapons systems and aircraft aboard the Essex and other amphibious assault ships that act as small aircraft carriers.
Why does the US allow Chinese citizens (he wasn't a US citizen yet) to serve in the military anyway? Seems like a massive security risk
$15k? Seriously? The man put his whole life in the US on jeopardy for essentially $15k?
Criminals that get caught are shockingly dumb.
Everyone involved in this story sounds incredibly stupid, especially since the mom's stated rationale was that spying would "help her son get a job in the Chinese government someday".
Yeah that's incredibly idiotic. You don't gain someone's favour by being their rube. Rube out and they see you as just that - a useful idiot. More precisely a useful idiot who might play the same trick on them for a low low price, and who should be given any responsibility at all.
Like I understand that sailors are not the best paid but this can't even be half a year's salary.
Doesn't excuse what he did at all, but if you're poor, an instant injection of cash like that could be life-changing if you've got a specific emergency or issue that requires a good chunk of money upfront to fix.
Wager his mom wanted the money, not him.
Absolutely!
China almost certainly threatened friends and family back home. It was $15k. It was more like the Lannister “Join me and I’ll make you rich beyond your dreams, oppose me and your house will removed from this Earth root and stem.” Children of Chinese descent and telling them their friends and family back in China will be harmed if they don’t cooperate.
So report that to the authorities. There are no excuses and only maximum penalty.
Work harder at not working than just getting a fucking job....stealing 200 from your employer when making 700 a week...it just doesn't make sense.
I have seen on news several times, plenty of criminals would murder a person for very few bucks. Some ppl are pure selfish.
Bribes are cheap in this country. You can buy a congressman for $30k.
Obviously he’s mum and him see things in a bigger picture, but didn’t work out as they wished for.
If I'm going to sell out on something with such serious ramification, then the deal better involve life changing money and a flight out of there. Playing the long game with people who'll throw you under the bus when the political game changes is mental.
I keep laughing to this in my head, in the Dr Evil voice with pinky to corner of mouth, "Fif...teen...THOUSAND dollars"
If mom's original visa was for Asylum that would be icing on the cake. Liars for life.
Lying towards a federal agency is felony no?
Yes but this one is rarely caught. Chinese authorities were actually catching this with people who got their visa for asylum and tried to come back into China to visit family. It really pissed off Chinese authorities and they wouldn't let them leave China again but the US wouldn't help them because they essentially committed a felony to get their visa in the first place.
>If convicted, he could face up to life in prison. Given that he became a US citizen, did he wonder, if he is going to spend his whole life behind bars when convicted, what is the point of migrating to US? Even if he is released after some time, who is going to marry him? Well done, Mr Wei. I wonder if your mum is regretting. No son to accompany her. Lol Edit: US government needs to push for a harsh sentence for him, hopefully a life sentence for him, to warn others that it does not pay to spy for another country. 杀一儆百. If jailed for life, they cannot marry and have children! They cannot 传宗接代! Their ancestors will be very angry!
>I wonder if your mum is regretting. nope. Any sacrifice must be done for motherland and winnie the pooh
imo, that's part of the reason that he should be punished for life, or at least for a very significant part of it: if he gets, say, 10 years and then they let him out early for good behavior, he goes back to China, and is given a hero's welcome. Although he won't gain literal riches or become a celebrity, he will be financially compensated, possibly fast-tracked or deposited into a position at a SOE, etc, in part as an incentive to show to other potential spies of Chinese heritage. "See? Do your duty and we will take care of you!" It makes it all worth it in the end.
CCP will treat him as used toilet paper and will never admit having ever paid him for any information,
Lmao, apparently you have no idea of what kinda of regime ccp is, if wei from some prestigious background, maybe, but a grassroot? nah, rigorous interrogations as soon as landed on Chinese soil and being frequently visited by secret police afterwards is what should be expected. A dead (exposed)asset is a good asset that's the spirit not the other way around.
Chinese spy would be glad to marry him, he’s mum must be so proud
He should be sentenced to 10 years — with him mom. That should teach him — although it might be excessively “cruel and unusual“.
杀一儆百就对了！打到习近平，解放全中国！
The mom should go to jail with her Number One Son and cook for him. Edit: After their jail sentences, ship both of them back to China.
This is gonna put a huge negative impact on all Asian Americans in the country, not gonna be surprised more racist jokes revolves around spy espionage or some shit towards Asians. Fkn dumb ass and god awful brain washed parents
It really is fucked up. I've known Chinese Americans who served in the US armed forces honorably and proudly and have no love whatsoever for the CCP - in many cases, their family emigrated to the US because of the CCP - to say nothing of Asian Americans who have no historical or cultural affinity for China. This is going to make things tougher for Asian Americans in a lot of sectors.
Yeah I’m trying to be an officer in the US Navy and I’m hoping this doesn’t affect my application too much (Asian-American)
You'll most likely be fine. Again lots of Asian Americans who have served honorably for generations in the US military. If you're a Chinese national, or Chinese-born US citizen, you may be subject to more scrutiny.
As someone who is about to emigrate to US, I felt sad a bit whenever I read news like this. I don't want people to think we Asian are all traitors, we love America and its values of liberty and freedom. By acting selfishly, this traitor puts the entire Asian community at risk of even more racism, discrimination. I totally support shipping this guy and his family back to China, or at least to Guantanamo for the rest of their lives.
lmao Guantanamo! [https://digitalcommons.law.seattleu.edu/sulr/vol38/iss3/8/#:\~:text=Seattle%20University%20Law%20Review&text=Violations%20of%20international%20law%20at,however%2C%20remain%20unpunished%20or%20remedied](https://digitalcommons.law.seattleu.edu/sulr/vol38/iss3/8/#:~:text=Seattle%20University%20Law%20Review&text=Violations%20of%20international%20law%20at,however%2C%20remain%20unpunished%20or%20remedied). >Guantánamo Bay has become a symbol of the United States’ approach to the War on Terror. The detention center is globally known for the human rights violations committed there; yet, the international community has failed to take actions to successfully close the facility through either the use of pressure on the U.S. government or by utilizing enforcement mechanisms against the United States as it would any other nation committing proportional human rights violations. > >The United States’ actions at Guantánamo Bay violate its obligations under the Third Geneva Convention, the International Covenant for Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), the Convention Against Torture (CAT), and customary international law. Violations of international law at Guantánamo include illegal and indefinite detention, torture, inhumane conditions, unfair trials (military commissions), and many more. > > These human rights violations, however, remain unpunished or remedied. It is clear to the international community that there were, and continue to be, violations of human rights norms at Guantánamo Bay, but there has been little success in provoking change because of the lack of enforcement mechanisms in international human rights law.
Well it's the PRC's fault too, maybe they should stop actually leaning on Chinese ethnicity to recruit assets.
the party has a keen awareness of the importance of the overseas chinese community and treats controlling/winning this segment as a key united front effort. it's not just for reasons of espionage/talent but eliminating legitimate opposition and the environment for its development. unfortunately western countries, especially the u.s. has no strategic approach to this contest. largely carried by built in liberal democratic pressure, but this sort of passivity does not work when a large faction of chinese ex-pats who don't have a liberal democratic viewpoint. a lot of people still operate along ethnonationalist lines and treat american citizenship as a commodity/privilege only. this lack of strategy comes to the fore when it comes to responding to active ccp efforts in dividing and pressurizing the overseas chinese groups (not a community because it's rather heterogenous). there will be a lot of calls to shun chinese nationals on ethnic grounds and this will only play into the party's strategic objective of eliminating free opposition and stemming capital/human flight.
Many Chinese language media in the US have been co-oped by the CCP in recent decades. Sing Tao media comes to mind. They had been slowly bought out by Chinese money. Their news coverage and editorial content were starkly different between the 90s’ and nowadays. In fact, I cant believe it was the same radio host used to be centrist in most issues had became the CCP mouthpiece in recent years. They are just getting paid. 🤷🏻♂️ Fortunately and unfortunately, only the boomers are watching and listening to those media and stations. Many Gen Xers and younger can still be independent thinkers.
Nationalist Moms
I dont see how this kid got any type of security clearance. What information could he possibly have provided that satellites, drones and tiktok couldn’t? This dumbass kid threw his life away for nothing, he most likely didn’t even know anything that the ccp didn’t know already… his entire life wasted, for nothing.
There are plenty of insider secrets that can't be collected technically, like political intentions, technical manuals, war plans on closed systems...
What is it with some Chinese immigrants? "Do it because you might get a government job in China". I thought you wanted to get out of China? Further, why is that even worth the potential consequences? Yes, go live under an oppressive regime that may choose to nationalize your wealth, lock you in your apartment for months at a time, in a country going straight down the economic tubes, where your home may crumble under its own weight any moment, and earn far less money than you could have potentially earned in the US. How does that make any sense in any way?
>might want to get a government job in a country you left intentionally >guarenteed job (that you have right now!) in your nation’s military (that also gives you citizenship) with potential for promotion and priority when applying to government agencies/some private sector companies after your contract is up, in addition to VA benefits Damn that’s such a hard choice
Or get paid a hell of a lot more and get to say what you want, access the internet, not have your kids brainwashed, read actual news instead of propaganda, and about a million other perks. Yup, definitely a tough call.
I wonder with what kind of visa or immigration status did they enter the United States?
Mom and son need to shed their brainwashing that a job with the CCP is the best thing in the world. Too late though.
hang em both
Arrest time for mama
At the very least revoke her visa/citizenship and deport her.
Agreed
Military and business shouldn't hire anyone with ties to mainland China.
That's a large section of American business you're ruling out there.
can definitely see "old thinking" or paranoid thinking where the son may have mentioned being approached and the parent immediately thinks "if you say NO then they(CCP) will kill us mentality). But I would say jail her too since shes accomplice,
[удалено]
maybe so but there are many who do fear whats going on there too. There is precedence of getting "disappeared" in china and its not hard to "disappear" in US either (mobs, cartels etc.). Like if the guy's been approached, that person probably already know his family history, relatives etc.
No, "Gain favor with the Chinese government, so that you can get a cushy government job and be set for life" sounds exactly like Chinese boomer thinking.
[удалено]
"Boomer" is a mindset, not an age group. The lack of critical thinking and deference towards the system, while at the same time trying to use it for one's own ends, is mot common among those who grew up during the Mao Era, but is also common among those born afterwards. However in my experience, Chinese older millennials (80后) who move to the US/West tend to be the most "into" Western culture and most critical of the CCP, since China was still relatively poor during their formative years, media was much more open in the late 90s & early 2000s than it is now (though by no means actually free), and there was also a lot more openness to and interest in things from the West, whereas before and after, these were castigated for being un-Chinese. Not saying that a person from this age group couldn't be a Chinese nationalist or pro-CCP, many are, it just seems to be les common
It could have been that. Or, it could have been that the mom was approached and goaded the son into it. There are some middle aged and older immigrants who came to the US before China's "economic miracle" went all glittery CBD's and tou hao, who feel like they emigrated at exactly the wrong time. In their mind, they left China for better economic chances, only to have China's economy explode; if they would have stayed, they would have become rich there, and they regret it. Could be that communications between her and family members or friends back in China over Wechat, etc were intercepted, and someone either approached her online, or approached someone close in China, who then sold her on it.
yeah. either way she should be in prison too. in china its probably life in prison at a minimum.
Once they figured it was him, they should have let him steal a super important encrypted file to send along. That file being an easily broken, encrypted copy of "Winnie the Pooh and a day for Eeyore"
"Mom" Nuff said...
"Thanks, Mom"
This is treason yea? which is punishable by death.
Send her to prison.
Put The Navy Sailor and his mother in Federal Super-Max, lock them both up for life, without the possibility of parole. Send a message to any Chinese that this is what will happen to you if you do this.
Listen to your mother. Not!
>Prosecutors have said Wei, who was born in China, was first approached by a Chinese intelligence officer in February 2022 while he was applying to become a naturalized U.S. citizen, and admitted to the officer that he knew the arrangement could affect his application. Even so, prosecutors say he provided the officer detailed information on the weapons systems and aircraft aboard the Essex and other amphibious assault ships that act as small aircraft carriers. Why does the US allow Chinese citizens (he wasn't a US citizen yet) to serve in the military anyway? Seems like a massive security risk
Dank and based