US court convicts Chinese intelligence agent of economic espionage

GE Aviation's aircraft engine technology was the target of a Chinese espionage operation, according to the US Justice Department

A Chinese intelligence officer was convicted in US federal court Friday of economic espionage in an alleged state-backed effort to steal technology from US and French aerospace firms, the Justice Department said.

The Justice Department said at the time that a Chinese state-owned aerospace company had been trying to develop an engine like GE's for use in China-made aircraft.