On Friday, a Chinese citizen who was completing a doctoral program at a university in California was convicted for stealing trade secrets of American companies. The Department of Justice (DOJ) has charged the man conspiring to steal trade secrets from not just one but several American companies. He was planning to hand over the trade secrets to the Chinese government or use them to benefit himself.

Based on a press release from the DOJ, 41-year-old Chinese citizen Hao Zhang was convicted of economic espionage. Zhang stole secrets about wireless devices’ performance, which have been specifically designed to eliminate electronic interference. Such secrets can be very useful to companies that develop devices and technology. Combined with other similar technological innovations, companies can really forge ahead using those secrets.

The secrets stolen by Zhang would have both industrial and military applications. It seems that he was planning on using the tech he stole to start a company in China and that he was conspiring with Tianjin University in order to steal secrets from American companies.

China has long been suspected of using spies to steal technology from the United States. Both their private companies and government entities have been using stolen technology to create their own weapons and to make their own products. China is also the piracy capital of the world since they do not respect copyrights and trademarks.

“The defendant plotted with Tianjin University to take trade secrets from two U.S. companies, including his own employer, to China for the benefit of the Chinese Government,” Assistant Attorney General for National Security John C. Demers said in a statement.

There is an ongoing investigation to catch the Chinese spies studying in American universities and even working in government-funded research facilities. Some American traitors are working for the Chinese government in exchange for money. Hopefully, these spies would be caught as well and charged.

Many of the latest Chinese weaponry has been developed using stolen technology from the United States. For example, some experts claim that the Chengdu J-20 was developed using stealth tech stolen from the United States. It was reported that information from the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II was stolen or compromised and that coincided with the development of the J-20. That is just the best-known example of possible Chinese theft of military technology, but there are numerous other cases where espionage had been used for the development of the Chinese military and industry.