Yanjun Xu, Who Tried to Steal GE Secrets for China, Gets 20 Years in Prison

The first Chinese intelligence officer ever extradited to the United States to face trial was sentenced Wednesday to 20 years in prison for trying to steal secrets about aircraft engines from General Electric, among other crimes.

Justice Department officials touted the conviction of Yanjun Xu as evidence not just of China’s ambitious efforts to use government spies to engage in espionage that benefits Chinese firms, but of the U.S. government’s growing attempts to find, arrest and prosecute such operatives.