Two Chinese nationals plead guilty in microchip case

Two Chinese nationals pleaded guilty Wednesday to conspiring to smuggle radiation-hardened microchips which are used in the military and aerospace industries, in violation of US export laws, Bloomberg reported. Hong Wei Xian, 32, president of Beijing Starcreates Space Science & Technology Development, and 33-year-old Li Li, the company’s vice president, face up to five years in prison for conspiring to violate a US embargo on the export of “defense articles” to China. Xian and Li had worked out a deal with a Virginia company for the purchase of 40 microchips for US$64,500. They were arrested in September in Hungary, where they expected the microchips to be shipped. “Today’s convictions represent another example of the threat posed by those who illegally seek to obtain advanced American military technology for the benefit of PRC, both economically and militarily,” US Attorney Neil MacBride said.