Spy arrest puts strain on Beijing-us ties

A CHINESE citizen has been arrested in Chicago, for allegedly spying, putting more strain on Us-chinese relations.

Ji Chaoqun, 27, has been charged by the US Department of Justice for violating the Foreign Agents Registration Act. It claims he gathered information about American defence contractor employees in efforts to recruit them as informants. His arrest on Tuesday came as tensions grow between the countries. American intelligence officers have repeatedly issued warnings regarding growing Chinese influence.

The United States recently approved an arms sale worth £250million to Taiwan, over which Beijing claims sovereignty, and it has placed sanctions on the Chinese armed forces for buying Russian military equipment.

Washington has also ordered Chinese state media to register as foreign agents, and a new round of tariffs has gone into effect, taxing about half of all Chinese imports. In response, the Chinese have refused to allow a US military ship to visit Hong Kong, pulled out of trade and military talks that were expected this week, and applied its own tariffs to American imports.

Mr Ji came to the US in 2013 to study engineering. He enlisted in the US Army Reserve, hoping to gain American citizenship. He denies all charges.