Two Chinese nationals have been charged with spying inside the United States on behalf of Beijing, including by taking photographs of a naval base, coordinating a cash dead-drop and by participating in efforts to recruit members of the military who they thought might be open to working for Chinese intelligence.

Beijing opposed the "hyping up the so-called Chinese spies" narrative after two Chinese nationals were arrested in the United States for espionage and for allegedly seeking to recruit members of the US Navy to serve as intelligence assets for China.

Two Chinese nationals, Yuance Chen and Liren Lai, have been charged with espionage for allegedly recruiting spies for Beijing and photographing US naval bases. Their arrests mark an ongoing effort by the Justice Department to combat Chinese espionage targeting US military operations.