Chinese student sentenced to one year in prison for taking pictures of the naval base



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A federal judge in Key West sentenced Zhao Qianli to the maximum sentence after pleading guilty on Tuesday to an indictment officer for photographing defense facilities.

Zhao's lawyer, Hongwei Shang, declined to comment on CNN when he was contacted by phone Wednesday night.

According to court records, Zhao unauthorized entry on September 26 into the Joint South Joint Task Force South military property located at Key West Naval Air Station, touring the main fence line of the United States. installation and penetrating the military property of the beach. "

After clearing the main fence of the base, Zhao went directly into an area containing a series of satellite dishes and antennas called" the farm ", according to documents from the court.

Zhao took videos and multiple photographs of

"The fence line of the main facility contained several signs indicating that the farm area was a" RESTRICTIVE ZONE "and" KEEP IT " ", as well as a secondary fence line around the Farm,

Court documents do not clearly indicate whether Zhao was attempting to commit espionage.

A video of the US Navy describes the installation of Key West as "one of the world's leading intelligence fusion hubs."

The Navy monitors more than 1,000 suspicious targets a day, turning intelligence images into virtual reality programs.

The center monitors more than 42 million square kilometers of the Earth's surface to detect threats to US security, including drug shipments from the Americas, according to the video.

Employees of the five branches of the US Army as well as representatives of 13 other countries are working on the site.

Zhao was in the United States to study musicology as part of a summer exchange program. from the University of North China, according to CNN affiliate, WFOR.

The United States alleges a campaign of Chinese influence

The announcement of the condemnation of Zhao comes as US officials claim China is pursuing a persistent aggressive effort against US companies and government agencies.

Both countries have engaged in trade negotiations to alleviate the US longstanding concerns about Beijing's business practices. But for six months, tensions between the two countries are spreading in the military, political and diplomatic spheres.

  US intelligence warns China to use student spies to steal secrets

The Chinese government has repeatedly stated that it was acting in good faith in its interactions with the United States. " I do not know where this strong feeling of insecurity comes from, "Foreign Ministry Spokesman Geng Shuang said on January 30." China advocates steadily setting up a new concept of sustainability and security cooperation ".

According to experts, about 350,000 Chinese from China study each year in the United States.

Current and former intelligence officials told CNN that they all remained tied to the Chinese government, even though the vast majority of them were not sent to the United States. to spy.

"There is no possible comparison with the magnitude and scope of the Chinese threat that the United States faces today as it actively seeks to supplant the United States around the world" CNN's Republican Senator Marco Rubio told CNN [ad_2]
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