The Department of Justice announced earlier this week that a “prolific” Chinese hacker was apprehended on July 3 at the request of the Justice Department on charges of attempting to steal sensitive coronavirus research.
Xu Zewei, 33, of the People’s Republic of China, was charged in a nine-count indictment in the Southern District of Texas, according to the Department of Justice website.
He is accused of carrying out “computer intrusions between February 2020 and June 2021, including the indiscriminate HAFNIUM computer intrusion campaign that compromised thousands of computers worldwide, including in the United States.”
Xu was arrested in Milan, Italy, by authorities working in conjunction with the FBI, and will now face extradition. His alleged accomplice — People’s Republic of China national Zhang Yu, 44 — remains at large.
Court documents show that officers of the PRC’s Ministry of State Security and the Shanghai State Security Bureau directed Xu to hack the files.
“In February 2020, as the world entered a pandemic, Xu Zewei and other cyber actors working on behalf of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) targeted American universities to steal groundbreaking COVID-19 research,” Assistant Director Brett Leatherman of the FBI’s cyber division said.
He added that they “targeted over 60,000 U.S. entities, successfully victimizing more than 12,700 in order to steal sensitive information.”
Is China our biggest rival?
Assistant Attorney General for the National Security Division, John A. Eisenberg said the arrest demonstrates the U.S. commitment to pursuing hackers who prey on American companies and universities.
“The Justice Department will find you and hold you accountable for threatening our cybersecurity and harming our people and institutions,” Eisenberg said.
Nicholas Ganjei, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Texas, added: “The indictment alleges that Xu was hacking and stealing crucial COVID-19 research at the behest of the Chinese government while that same government was simultaneously withholding information about the virus and its origins.
“As this case shows, even if it takes years, we will track hackers down and make them answer for their crimes. The United States does not forget,” he continued.
July 8: 🇨🇳 national Xu Zewei (徐泽伟) was arrested in Milan, Italy, on July 3 at the request of the US. Xu and co-defendant 🇨🇳 national Zhang Yu (张宇) are charged for their involvement in computer intrusions between Feb 2020 and June 2021, including the indiscriminate HAFNIUM… https://t.co/JE595UFk2H pic.twitter.com/KecxPJzkaA
— Byron Wan (@Byron_Wan) July 8, 2025
Xu and other co-conspirators allegedly hacked and targeted U.S. “universities, immunologists, and virologists conducting research into COVID‑19 vaccines, treatment, and testing,” the DOJ news release read.
The DOJ said it has become a common tactic for the Chinese government to operate an extensive network of private companies and contractors in China — who work for profit — to hack and steal information in a manner that obscures the government’s involvement.
Xu has been charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and two counts of wire fraud, carrying a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison on each count, as well as conspiracy to cause damage to and obtain information by unauthorized access to protected computers, to commit wire fraud, and to commit identity theft, which carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison.
In addition, he’s facing two counts of obtaining information by unauthorized access to protected computers, which carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison; two counts of intentional damage to a protected computer, which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison; and aggravated identity theft, which carries a maximum penalty of two years in prison.
Anyone with potential information about the suspect who is still at large is encouraged to call the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324).
More than ever, it’s clear that China remains our biggest threat — not Russia, not the Middle East. Chinese leadership will stop at nothing to become the world’s foremost superpower.
They’ve already hacked the United States through a variety of avenues, infiltrated our schools and government with spies, purchased U.S. farmland, manipulated American trade, stolen intellectual property, and shipped deadly fentanyl into the country.
Lest we forget, they are widely believed to have been the source of a worldwide pandemic that brought America’s roaring economy to its knees and caused most of the entire world to lock down.
Border security is vital. A stable Middle East is a must. But China is the future. They have a history of patience, and they can play the long game.
We must learn to do the same and stay on the cutting edge, or they will assume the kind of power that the U.S. has enjoyed since World War II.
If that happens, the earth will quickly sink into darkness on a scale that no one can possibly imagine.
Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. Advertise Today.
