US jails two Chinese nationals for spying
A US court has jailed two Chinese nationals, Liren Lai and Yuance Chen. They admitted to facilitating covert cash payments to people in the United States.
Two Chinese nationals, Liren Lai and Yuance Chen, have been jailed in the United States in a case linked to spying, Al Jazeera reported on 31 October 2026.
According to the report, both men admitted to facilitating cash payments through so-called "dead drops". This is a covert method of passing money or items in which the giver and the recipient do not meet in person. The payments totalled at least $30,000, and the recipients were people in the US.
The source material available so far does not state the length of the sentences, which court handled the case, who received the money, or what information, if any, was provided in return. Those questions remain open until further details are released by the court or the authorities.
The case is one in which US courts have held foreign nationals to account over alleged espionage activity.
