The United States government has implicated two Chinese soldiers in a case involving the theft of top secret information on the design of the F-35 jet fighter and other US military aircraft, according to a Canadian news organization.

The two soldiers are believed to have conspired with Su Bin -- a Chinese aviation industry entrepreneur living in Vancouver -- who was arrested by Canadian authorities on a US warrant in 2014. 

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50-year old Su is facing extradition charges after the US government accused him of conspiring to steal secret information from the secure databases of US companies that design and build jets for the Pentagon.   The aviation giant Boeing -- which manufactures the Globemaster C17 transport aircraft -- is said to have been one of these companies. 

A federal grand jury has indicted the Chinese national on five felony offenses in connection with the theft.  The charges carry a total maximum statutory penalty of 30 years, according to a report that appears in the website of the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

Hacking Conspiracy

Citing the prosecution summary of the hacking case, The Globe and Mail reports that Su allegedly directed "two unindicted co-conspirators" to the e-mail accounts of US aviation engineers whose communications he believed would yield classified information on US military aircraft.

Once inside the accounts, the China-based hackers raided corporate networks for the classified engineering manuals of the F-35 stealth fighter, the C-17 transport aircraft and the F-22 Raptor.  The two would then return to Su with a lengthy list of files and ask which they should steal.

The hackings allegedly took place from 2009 to 2012.  In one instance in 2012, one of the conspirators is said to have written and edited a document that described the unlawful acquisition of 65 gigabytes of data.  The vast store of stolen information reportedly included drawings, scans and other technical details about the C-17.

The original indictment records from 2014 -- copies of which are now available on the web -- make no mention of any links to the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA).  But the prosecution book of records more recently acquired by The Globe and Mail are said to make explicit mention of "two Chinese military officers."  

US officials claim to have confirmed the hackers' link to the PLA after the US government intercepted an e-mail attachment bearing one of the conspirators' "Chinese military identification," which showed "his name, rank, military unit, and year and month of birth."

However, the records cited by the Globe and Mail do not say whether the two soldiers allegedly involved in the hacking scheme were working for themselves or on orders from Beijing.

Ulterior Motives

The Chinese government has meanwhile said that the two soldiers implicated in the issue are in no way connected to any hacking activities.   

Foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei told the press on Friday that the accusations against the soldiers are unfounded and premised on "ulterior motives."

"The Chinese government and armed forces are opposed to -- and have not been -- engaged in any forms of network hacking," Hong said. 

Hong likewise urged the Canadian government to ensure the legal rights of Su and abide by relevant consular agreements between China and Canada in the disposition of his case.

"The Chinese government has always paid high attention to safeguard legitimate rights and interests of Chinese citizens overseas," Hong said, adding that Beijing will continue to follow Su's case.

Su remains in the custody of authorities in Vancouver pending an appeal. 

TagsUS-China relations, china hackers