PORTLAND, Ore. (KATU) — A resident of Happy Valley, Oregon, was arrested by the Federal Bureau of Investigation on Friday, June 27, 2025, for allegedly acting as an agent of the People’s Republic of China and the Ministry of State Security (MSS).
Yuance Chen is a PRC citizen who arrived in the U.S. on or about September 2015 on a B1/B2 visitor visa. Chen was granted conditional permanent resident status after United States Citizenship and Immigration Services recognized his marriage to Associate #1, on or about June 26, 2022, according to a criminal complaint obtained by KATU News.
According to court documents, Chen and another person identified as Liren Lai aka “Ryan” were in the United States to allegedly gather intelligence about the U.S. Navy service members, military bases, and to “recruit other potential MSS assets from within the U.S. military.”
The documents say that Yuance traveled to Seattle in April 2022 and Associate #1 took photos of “Naval Base Kitsap-Bangor.” Yuance was also directed to take photos of a U.S. Navy recruiting station in California. “Many of the photos include the full names, programs, hometowns, and the recruiter’s name for recent U.S. Navy recruits,” the document said.
“Yuance and Lai acted within the United States under the direction and control of the Government of the People’s Republic of China, without prior notification to the Attorney General, as required by law, in violation of 18 U.S.C. 951,” the criminal complaint said.
FBI Portland arrested Chen on Friday, June 27, and he was taken to the Multnomah County Jail. He was released into the custody of the US Marshals Service on June 30.
“This case underscores the Chinese government’s sustained and aggressive effort to infiltrate our military and undermine our national security from within,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “The Justice Department will not stand by while hostile nations embed spies in our country – we will expose foreign operatives, hold their agents to account, and protect the American people from covert threats to our national security.”
“The FBI arrested two Chinese nationals who were allegedly attempting to recruit U.S. military service members on behalf of the PRC,” said FBI Director Kash Patel. “The Chinese Communist Party thought they were getting away with their scheme to operate on U.S. soil, utilizing spy craft, like dead drops, to pay their sources. This case was a complex, coordinated effort and is an example of outstanding counterintelligence work done by FBI San Francisco, Portland, Houston, San Diego, and the Counterintelligence Division. The FBI will continue to vigilantly defend the homeland from China’s pervasive attempts to infiltrate our borders.”
