According to a recent announcement made by the Justice Department, four Chinese individuals have been charged with charges relating to the illegal exportation of electronic components manufactured in the United States to Iran. These components include those that may have been used for military purposes.
The four Chinese nationals are Yiu Wa Yung, Yanlai Zhong, Baoxia Liu, and Yongxin Li. They smuggled electrical components made in the US to Iran using front businesses in Hong Kong and China. Despite the issuance of arrest warrants, all of the accused continue to evade capture.
According to the Justice Department, the Chinese nationals in question are alleged to have facilitated the transfer of U.S. export-controlled goods via China and Hong Kong to sanctioned businesses linked to the Iranian Defense Ministry and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
The four individuals were accused by the US of using Chinese front businesses to launder electronics from May 2007 to July 2020. Some of the electronics may have found their way into ballistic missile systems, drones, and other military applications. A large quantity of US goods with military capabilities was exported from the US to Iran as a consequence of the alleged conspiracy.
In a statement, Assistant Attorney General Matthew Olsen of the DOJ’s National Security Division warned that the Iranian regime’s malicious actions are fueled by illicit supply chains that include U.S. technology. The statement emphasized that the United States will use all available means to disrupt these supply chains.
The DOJ has filed an indictment as part of a broader attempt to counter Chinese aggression in the United States. In December 2023, they said that it had stopped a cyber assault operation launched from China, which had targeted vital infrastructure.
Last October, FBI Director Chris Wray issued a warning about the CCP’s theft of US technology, intellectual property, and data. He warned that there had been a pattern of theft and that the stolen assets would be sent back to China or other hostile countries. According to the FBI, inquiries into the subject have massively increased in the last several years.
