COLUMBUS, Ohio - A Chinese national and government official was convicted of trying to steal trade secrets from multiple U.S. aviation and aerospace companies, including the theft of proprietary airplane engine fan technology from GE Aviation, and sentenced Nov. 16 to a 20-year prison term. Yanjun Xu’s attorneys say such a sentence is too harsh since he's already served five years since his arrest. The government alleged he began recruiting US aviation experts in December 2013, including those at GE Aviation in Cincinnati. Prosecutors described Xu as a deputy division director at the Chinese Ministry of State Security. He as accused of trying to steal technology related to GEA's composite aircraft engine fan to benefit the Chinese government. (The AP 11/16/22)
Regional Note: GEA introduced composite fan blades to jet travel in 1995 with its GE90 engine on the Boeing 777. Since then, those components have continued to be incorporated into both GE commercial and military engines. GEA has 30+ operating facilities in the US, including two in Mississippi and one in Alabama.
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