In May of this year, an 84-year-old inmate in a North Carolina federal prison died from Covid-19. Dongfan Greg Chung’s death barely registered on the local news, but Chung held a unique status in U.S. judicial history: in 2009, he became the first person to ever be convicted of economic espionage.
Born in Liaoning Province, Chung fled with his family to Taiwan when he was 10 years old during the Chinese Civil War. He moved to the U.S. in the 1960s, becoming a citizen and settling down in Orange County, California, with his wife and two sons. He worked as an aerospace engineer for Rockwell International, and the unit he worked for was bought by Boeing in 1996. His life appeared relatively simple until one day in 1985 when a letter from a subsidiary of the Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC) arrived, inviting him to visit China. AVIC makes the People’s Liberation Army’s fighter jets, and the subsidiary wanted Chung to discuss a range of topics, including aircraft
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Why is one of Taiwan's largest media groups — Want Want China Times Media Group — spreading anti-U.S. rhetoric? Largely because its billionaire owner, Tsai Eng-meng, is known to sympathize with the Chinese Communist Party and favors unification with the mainland. Now, with Taiwan gearing up for a critical presidential election, Want Want’s efforts are picking up and helping to normalize CCP talking points.
A look at ZPMC: how it came to dominate ports around the world; its role in Chinese foreign policy; and the consequences of its links to the Chinese state.
The author and academic talks about how trade has actually changed over the last 40 years; why China's rise is linked to Asia's regionalization; and why international supply chains are efficient and resilient.
