Chinese and Russian operatives are allegedly using “sex warfare” tactics to seduce and spy on Silicon Valley professionals in a growing espionage campaign targeting the U.S. technology sector, according to a report by The Times UK.
Industry insiders told The Times that foreign agents — posing as investors, academics, and even romantic partners — are seeking to gain access to sensitive U.S. innovations and defense-linked intellectual property. James Mulvenon, chief intelligence officer at Pamir Consulting and a longtime expert on Chinese espionage, said he was personally targeted by foreign operatives through social media.
“I’m getting an enormous number of very sophisticated LinkedIn requests from the same type of attractive young Chinese woman,” Mulvenon said, describing a pattern of online approaches and in-person infiltration attempts at business events. “It really seems to have ramped up recently.”
Mulvenon recounted how two Chinese women tried to enter a Virginia conference on Chinese investment risks. “We didn’t let them in,” he said. “But they had all the information about the event and everything else. It is a phenomenon. And I will tell you: it is weird.”
According to the Times investigation, five U.S. counterintelligence experts confirmed that sexual entrapment — or “honeytrap” operations — are just one part of a broader campaign by China and Russia to extract American trade secrets. These efforts reportedly include exploiting startup competitions held on U.S. soil, manipulating foreign investments, and even sabotaging emerging tech firms.
The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has been linked to more than 60 espionage cases in the United States over the past four years, the House Committee on Homeland Security reported in February. However, one former counterintelligence officer told The Times that this figure “only scratches the surface.”
Both Chinese and Russian operations are increasingly using ordinary citizens — including investors, crypto experts, and academics — rather than professional spies. “We’re not chasing a KGB agent in a smoky guesthouse in Germany anymore,” one senior U.S. official said. “Our adversaries — particularly the Chinese — are using a whole-of-society approach.”
One striking example cited by The Times involves a “beautiful” Russian woman who allegedly infiltrated the aerospace sector by marrying an American colleague. Investigators later discovered she had attended a “Russian soft-power school” before reemerging in the U.S. as a cryptocurrency expert. “Showing up, marrying a target, having kids with a target — and conducting a lifelong collection operation,” said one source. “It’s very uncomfortable to think about, but it’s so prevalent.”
The U.S. Commission on the Theft of American Intellectual Property estimates that economic espionage costs American taxpayers up to $600 billion annually, with China identified as the leading source of such theft.
The Times UK also reported on cases like that of Klaus Pflugbeil, a Chinese resident convicted in 2023 for attempting to sell Tesla’s stolen trade secrets for $15 million. Prosecutors said his actions were intended to benefit the People’s Republic of China in a “critical industry with national security implications.”
Meanwhile, U.S. authorities are warning startups about international “pitch competitions” organized by Chinese entities, where founders are often required to disclose sensitive data and intellectual property before participating. Winners receive funding — but only if they relocate to China and establish operations there.
Experts warn these tactics are part of a sophisticated long-term campaign to weaken U.S. technological dominance and exploit regulatory blind spots. “China understands our system and knows how to work within it with virtual impunity,” said Jeff Stoff, a former U.S. government analyst. “It’s the Wild West out there.”
With counterintelligence agencies playing catch-up, officials are calling for stricter oversight of cross-border investments and greater awareness of foreign influence in the technology ecosystem. “China is targeting our startups, our academic institutions, our innovators,” Stoff told The Times UK. “It’s all part of an economic warfare strategy — and we’ve barely entered the battlefield.”
