---
title: "The U.S. Says China is Stealing Military Spacecraft Technology"
description: "Pengyi Li from China attempted to smuggle sensitive spacecraft and military missile components out of the U.S. according to documents obtained by Quartz."
date: "2019-09-17"
modified: "2019-09-17"
authors:
  - name: "Victor Tangermann"
    job_title: "Senior Editor"
    link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor"
url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/us-china-stealing-military-spacecraft-tech"
categories:
  - "Future Society"
  - "Military"
  - "Science & Energy"
tags:
  - "aerospace technology"
  - "china"
  - "spacecraft"
  - "the digest"
---

# The U.S. Says China is Stealing Military Spacecraft Technology

![Pengyi Li from China attempted to smuggle sensitive spacecraft and military missile components out of the U.S. according to documents obtained by Quartz.](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/us-china-stealing-military-spacecraft-tech.jpg>)
*\<em\>Image: US Air Force\</em\>*

## Tech Theft

China's space industry is still in its early stages compared to the U.S., but the Department of Homeland Security suspects that China is trying to get ahead by stealing military space technology.

Pengyi Li, a Chinese national, attempted to smuggle sensitive spacecraft and missile components out of the U.S. according to documents [obtained by ](<https://qz.com/1702414/inside-the-fight-to-keep-us-military-space-tech-out-of-china/>)*[Quartz](<https://qz.com/1702414/inside-the-fight-to-keep-us-military-space-tech-out-of-china/>) —* and got caught red-handed, thanks to a two-year undercover investigation by the Department of Homeland Security.

## Sensitive Tech

U.S. agents sold Li specialized microchips and sensors, which require special export licenses, for more than $150,000, according to *Quartz*. And many of these sensitive parts are banned from sale in China, as they could be used in military satellites and missiles and give China an advantage.

The U.S. and China have been waging a bitter trade war in which a key issue has been theft of American intellectual property. According to *Quartz*, there were at least eight other prosecutions by the Department of Justice just like this one within the last ten years, suggesting a greater trend of sensitive technologies flowing overseas.

**READ MORE:** [China is trying to steal military space tech. The US is running stings to stop it.](<https://qz.com/1702414/inside-the-fight-to-keep-us-military-space-tech-out-of-china/>) \[*Quartz*\]

**More on U.S.-China relations:** *[Has a Space War Between US, China, Russia Already Started?](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/space-war-usa-china-russia>)*

## Author
I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida.

### Author social links  
[Bluesky](<https://bsky.app/profile/vtanger.bsky.social>)