December17, 2006: Another Chinese spy has been indicted in the United States. But this time, the spy was not working for the Chinese government. In fact, the Chinese appear to have been uninterested in, or too slow in accepting, the stolen technology. The accused spy, Xiaodong Sheldon Meng, is actually a naturalized Canadian citizen, having emigrated from China. Meng stole graphics software used for military training simulators (like the stuff long used in flight simulators, but now found in ground and sea oriented simulators as well.) Meng tried to sell the stuff to Thailand, Malaysia and China, but was unable to complete a transaction before he was caught. Since no transactions were completed, Meng was changed with "economic espionage," a less serious charge than treason, and an attempt to illegally export military technilogy.

China's "thousand grains of sand" intelligence gathering system encourages Chinese overseas to grab what useful stuff they can, and bring it to China. There, the government, or Chinese firms approved by the government, buy what they believe they need.