Newsweek did a fascinating article about Chinese agricultural espionage in Iowa recently called: “May a Thousand Spies Bloom”.
The report detailed Chinese efforts targeting genetically engineered seeds.
A plant or microorganism that has undergone a process in which an isolated and well-characterized gene is delivered, integrated and expressed in a host cell; sometimes referred to as “genetically engineered.”
Here is an extract of that article:
“In 2011, a farm field manager for DuPont Pioneer, a top seed-development company, confronted a Chinese man digging up genetically engineered corn in an open field. Another man was waiting nearby in a car. After an awkward exchange about what they were doing, the two sped off – but not before the farmer took down their license plate.”
“The FBI entered the case and bugged the car of two of the suspects. “These are actually very serious offenses,” one was overheard saying. The other agreed: “They could treat us as spies!”
“Six Chinese nationals were eventually charged with conspiring to steal trade secrets in this case, all of them employees of Chinese seed firms. The suspected ring leader, according to the indictment, was Mo “Robert” Hailong, of Boca Raton, Fla., a naturalized U.S. citizen who is director of international business for the Beijing Dabeinong Technology Group Company. Investigators suspect that someone at DuPont Pioneer tipped the accused spies to the location of the seedlings. Hailong is in custody, the others are at large” Source: Newsweek http://mag.newsweek.com/2014/01/17/china-spies-fbi-cia.html).