Anonymous ID: 172e5c Nov. 7, 2020, 2:12 p.m. No.11528576   ๐Ÿ—„๏ธ.is ๐Ÿ”—kun

>>11528443

In Iowa corn fields, Chinese national's seed theft exposes vulnerability

 

ARLINGTON, Iowa (Reuters) - Tim Burrack, a northern Iowa farmer in his 44th growing season, has taken to keeping a wary eye out for unfamiliar vehicles around his 300 acres of genetically modified corn seeds.

 

Mo, an employee of Chinese firm Kings Nower Seed, pleaded guilty to stealing seed grown by U.S. firms Monsanto, Dupont Pioneer and LG Seeds.

 

NATIONAL SECURITY

The number of international economic espionage cases referred to the FBI is rising, up 15 percent each year between 2009 and 2014 and up 53 percent in 2015. The majority of cases reported involve Chinese nationals, the U.S. law enforcement official told Reuters. In the agriculture sector, organic insecticide, irrigation equipment and rice, along with corn, are all suspected to have been targeted, including by Chinese nationals, the official said.

 

Mo Hongjian, vice president of Kings Nower Seedโ€™s parent company, Beijing Dabeinong Technology Group, declined to comment on the case or on the companyโ€™s connection with the Chinese government.

 

The parent firm is privately owned, but says it receives government money for research in โ€œscience and technology.โ€

 

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-china-seeds/in-iowa-corn-fields-chinese-nationals-seed-theft-exposes-vulnerability-idUSKCN0X80D6