Chinese Scientist Admits Stealing Trade Secrets in US

A Chinese scientist, a permanent resident in the US who worked in the agro industry, has pled guilty to stealing trade secrets on pesticide and food products from two US employers, reports the BBC News. He was charged under the US 1996 Economic Espionage Act. The article suggests that greed or career ambitions can prompt such exchanges as much as patriotism. In the case of biotechnologist Kexue Huang, secrets of Dow AgroSciences and Cargill Inc. were passed on to researchers in China and Germany. “There have been growing concerns about trade secrets of US companies being handed over to competitors in China,” notes the BBC report. Such shortcuts can save recipients millions in research and development expenditures. The plea deal follows complaints about other workers at US car companies passing secrets on to Chinese manufacturers. Individual employees can expect more monitoring as multinationals vow to protect intellectual property. – YaleGlobal