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GuardianJun 08
China Resident Pleads Guilty to Stealing Tesla Trade Secrets
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Image copyright: Zhe Ji/Contributor/Getty Images News via Getty Images
The Facts
Klaus Pflugbeil, a dual Canadian-German national who resides in China, has pleaded guilty in New York federal court for stealing Tesla electric vehicle (EV) battery manufacturing trade secrets.
This comes as he was arrested on March 19 in Long Island, N.Y., for sending trade secrets to an undercover federal law enforcement agent posing as a businessman. A few days later, Pflugbeil was released on a $1M bail.
The Spin
Anti-China narrative
By pleading guilty to this espionage conspiracy, Pflugbeil has exposed that Beijing is deliberately working against the US. After all, it's no coincidence that, yet again, an individual linked to the Chinese Communist Party has threatened America's economic interests and national security.
Pro-China narrative
That this case would prompt another round of smears against China is no surprise, but that doesn't make it less outrageous. Intellectual property protection in key areas, including to safeguard trade secrets, has been strengthened in the country — and Pflugbeil isn't even a Chinese national.
