The United States Charges a Chinese Citizen With Photographing an Air Force Base

July 29, 2024: The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) building in Washington, D.C. (Madalina Vasiliu / The Dajiyuan)

[People News]  The U.S. Department of Justice announced on Thursday (January 8) that a Chinese citizen has been criminally charged for allegedly photographing important U.S. Air Force military facilities without authorization. The U.S. House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party stated that such behavior is not an isolated case, but part of a broader effort by China to collect intelligence on the U.S. defense system.

According to a report by Voice of America, based on the criminal charging documents filed with the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri, U.S. prosecutor R. Matthew Price charged a 35-year-old Chinese citizen, Wu Qilin (phonetic translation, Qilin Wu), with illegally photographing “important military facilities and key military equipment,”涉嫌 violating U.S. federal law.

The indictment states that on December 2, 2025, U.S. Air Force security personnel discovered Wu Qilin outside Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri. The base is the primary home of the U.S. military’s B-2 “Spirit” stealth bombers. Security personnel warned him on the spot that photographing or recording the base and related facilities was prohibited.

Investigators said that the same vehicle appeared again outside the base the following day. Wu Qilin subsequently admitted that he had filmed videos of B-2 bombers and taken photographs of the base’s perimeter fencing, entrances and exits, and military equipment. Law enforcement officers found at least 18 pieces of video and image materials on his phone. The charging documents also stated that he admitted to having previously photographed another U.S. Air Force base and its military aircraft.

Court documents show that Wu Qilin was detained after illegally entering the United States near Nogales, Arizona, in June 2023, but was later released on his own recognizance due to insufficient detention capacity. In December 2025, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) took him back into custody.

According to the indictment, the case is currently still at the allegation stage, and the defendant is legally entitled to the presumption of innocence before a court ruling. If convicted, he could face up to one year of federal imprisonment.

The case comes at a time when the United States is strengthening scrutiny of Chinese intelligence-gathering activities. In recent years, U.S. law enforcement and national security agencies have repeatedly warned that China uses multiple methods to collect U.S. military and technological intelligence, including personnel infiltration, cyber operations, and surveillance of sensitive facilities.

The U.S. House Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party stated that such cases once again highlight the importance of strengthening counterintelligence and base security, especially against the backdrop of intensifying U.S.–China strategic competition.

In a post on the social media platform X, the committee said: “Our military facilities are not tourist attractions. Unauthorized surveillance of U.S. military bases is not an isolated incident, but one element of China’s overall pattern of espionage targeting U.S. defense capabilities.” The committee also called on the United States to remain clear-eyed and resolute in firmly responding to infiltration and threats from China.

U.S. authorities said that the investigation in this case was conducted jointly by multiple agencies, including the U.S. Air Force Office of Special Investigations, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

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