Chinese Nationals Caught in “Routine Espionage” Probe at Michigan Military Base

Five Chinese nationals were caught allegedly taking photos near classified military equipment at Camp Grayling in Northern Michigan in 2023. Officials say the incident was not isolated but part of a constant probing of U.S. military installations.

Major General Paul D. Rogers, the adjutant general of the Michigan National Guard, told the Michigan House Committee on Homeland Security and Foreign Influence on Wednesday, November 5, that the People’s Republic of China is very active in information gathering and intelligence collection across businesses, military sites, and training facilities.

“You see it through businesses, you see it through military sites, training,” Rogers said. “It’s not uncommon. I’d almost say it’s routine for Chinese nationals to be tasked to go somewhere and actively try to get onto a military base, enter a restricted area, and if they get entry, to collect certain pieces of information, whatever it may be of interest.”

Rogers described the activity as an active, ongoing operation by China. He spoke before lawmakers about homeland security challenges facing the state and cited multiple incidents that underscore growing concerns.

One such case occurred last year at Selfridge Air National Guard Base in Macomb County, when two Chinese nationals arrived and told guards they wanted to visit the base’s military air museum. They were denied access but returned three days later using the same excuse, Rogers said.

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“The fact that those same two individuals showed up three days later at the same gate hoping to find a guard that would not be doing their due diligence, it’s a constant probing,” Rogers explained. “And it’s a little cat and mouse, and they’re not breaking any laws, right? So there’s nothing that can be done about it. But it’s not with good intent.”

The Incident at Camp Grayling occurred during a training exercise in August 2023 involving about 7,000 military officials, including participants from Taiwan. The FBI later filed a complaint against five Chinese nationals, all University of Michigan students at the time, who were allegedly found on base property taking photos near classified equipment and soldiers’ tents. The group was told to leave, and an investigation was launched.

While the students were not charged with espionage, they faced charges of conspiracy, making false statements to investigators, and destroying records during the federal investigation. The charges were filed on October 1, 2024, months after the students, identified as Zhekai Xu, Renxiang Guan, Haoming Zhu, Jingzhe Tao, and Yi Liang, had graduated in May and left the country.

Rogers said the students were identified through cooperation between federal, state, and local agencies using established tracking systems. “That’s how we were able to detect those five individuals in the course of trying to collect on training that was going on up at Grayling,” Rogers said. “And it was through those channels that ultimately fed back to an FBI investigation that identified them by name and then worked through the legal system to put warrants out for them.”

Rogers noted that incidents like these are not unique to Michigan. In 2021, University of Michigan students from China were convicted of photographing military and naval infrastructure at Naval Air Station Key West in Florida. “This is not unusual. It’s happening everywhere,” Rogers said. “And I think folks would probably be a little shocked to see how frequently that’s going on.”

The Camp Grayling case is one of four federal cases since October 2024 involving University of Michigan students from China, with experts suggesting a pattern is emerging.

On October 27, 2024, University of Michigan student Haoxiang Gao allegedly voted at an early voting site in Ann Arbor despite not being a U.S. citizen. Gao left the country and now faces federal charges for fleeing to avoid prosecution.

In June, authorities unsealed a federal criminal complaint against University of Michigan doctoral student Yunqing Jian and her boyfriend, Zunyong Liu. They are accused of conspiring to defraud the United States and smuggling a fungal pathogen called *Fusarium graminearum* into the country. The pathogen, which causes cereal crop diseases, is considered an agroterrorism weapon.

Also in June, a doctoral student at a Wuhan university, Chengxuan Han, was arrested in Michigan and charged with smuggling goods into the U.S. and making false statements. Han is accused of sending four packages from China containing nematode growth medium, a nutrient-rich substance used to cultivate roundworms, to contacts associated with a University of Michigan laboratory.

As authorities work to tighten monitoring and coordination, security experts say vigilance and preparedness remain key. And speaking of preparedness, it’s no surprise that many field officers and tactical professionals prefer durable gear like the 5.11 Tactical RUSH 24 2.0 Military Survival Molle Backpack (Style 56563ABR/56564ABR) a 37L pack. Built for reliability and organization, with space for a laptop and essential field tools.

Each of these incidents, according to federal and state officials, highlights growing concerns about foreign intelligence-gathering activities within U.S. academic and military institutions.

Editor’s Note:

Incidents like the one at Camp Grayling underscore growing concerns over foreign intelligence activities targeting U.S. military and research institutions. As global tensions rise, maintaining vigilance and safeguarding national security infrastructure remain paramount.