【新唐人2014年02月12日讯】北京“金色农华种业公司”的6名中国籍员工，被指控涉嫌窃取美国已取得专利的玉米种子。其中被逮捕的莫海龙，日前在美国爱奥华州出庭做无罪申辩，下月底将庭审。评论指出，中共的间谍活动扩大了，过去是偷军事情报、和商业情报，现在则偷农业情报等。
莫海龙是北京“大北农业集团公司”的员工，持有美国绿卡，去年12月莫海龙被抓捕，另5人被起诉，6人被指控从“杜邦先锋”和“孟山都”公司的试验田里，盗窃玉米种子。
这桩盗窃玉米种子的案件，发生于2011年5月，位于美国爱奥华州中东部的“杜邦公司”科研农场的一名经理发现：莫少龙和同事王磊，在玉米地里用膝盖爬行、鬼鬼祟祟偷玉米种子。
接下来，联邦调查局对莫海龙和他的同伙进行了一年左右的监控。收录他们的对话，包括如何收集种子，怎么样利用这些种子等细节。
起诉书指控，莫海龙团伙在伊利诺伊州购买了一小块自己的试验田，他们想将自交系种子，与其他自交系杂交，培育出杂交种子。
联邦检察部门说，一种自交系种子的取得，需要耗费5到8年的科研时间，成本可达3000万到4000万美元。
中国农业生物工程学者张开指出，用偷来的自交系种子，与其他自交系杂交，可以培育出高产的杂交品种，这样既节省大量科研时间，也可节省大量金钱。
中国农业生物工程学者张开：“开发高产的种子需要大量的时间，因为它需要好多部门的共同的协助，要从选种、育种主要这两个阶段进行，那么选种之后就要定下开发，根据开发的方向，去改善种子的具体的遗传性状，那么这个时候就要花很多人力，去筛选什么样的性状符合产量高，能够耐病虫害这样的遗传基因。”
此外，张开指出，生物工程研究项目，需要多部门共同合作协调，因此花费的时间和人力非常庞大。
张开：“如果没有人员之间的相互协调，即使投入大量的钱，也很难得到一个好的种子，然后在筛选种子方面，因为在实验室里，经过实验加工出来的种子，往往还不能拿到实际大自然中去适应大自然的状态，所以需要筛选它，这个时候也需要很长时间，可能需要5年6年甚至更长时间。”
去年12月13号，再有两名中国的农业科学家被逮捕。
中国水稻遗传学家严文贵博士和农业种子培育员张伟强，被指控在美国堪萨斯州一所研究设施里窃取专利的稻米种子，并转交给到美国访问的中国代表团。
美国反间谍执行局局长布伦纳曾指出，中共情报部门经常在美国完全掌握新技术之前，就获取有关情报。
美国中文杂志《中国事务》总编辑伍凡指出，中共现在的间谍活动扩大了，过去是偷军事情报、偷商业情报，现在偷农业情报。
美国中文杂志《中国事务》总编辑伍凡：“他这次偷的是玉米种子，玉米产量全世界最高的在美国，美国最大的一个种子公司叫孟山都，它在俄勒冈州，是全世界最有名的，全世界农业最好，并且玉米也是产量最高的，那么他们就想偷这个种子到中国，自己去研究生产。”
伍凡分析，因为中国农业产量不断下降，要依靠大量进口粮食来维护，所以偷外国的农产品种子，来提高自己的粮食产品，但这绝不可能是企业或个人行为。
伍凡：“你说私人去偷那个种子干什么？私人你偷来你自己买地来种吗？它是要把那个种子拿来做繁殖，以后扩大，由政府部门来做这种事情，来偷这个东西，自己不花钱，又节省了很长很长的研发时间，一步一步过去失败的，它不要重复了，它偷人家最新的东西，一步就跟上你了。”
张开指出，这种偷来的美国种子，很可能因环境的改变而发生变异，几年后，变异的的种子很可能造成中国植物种子，或者农作物的生长性状发生改变，而影响物种，成为一个潜在的威胁环境，破坏环境的大灾害。
采访编辑/李韵 后制/钟元
CCP Engaged in Agricultural Spying and Espionage – Environmental Hazard
Six employees of Beijing “Kings Nower Seed S&T Co., LTD"
were accused of stealing U.S. patented corn seed.
Arrested, MO Hailong pleaded not guilty in Iowa State
court recently and will go on trial next month.
Reports pointed out that the CCP’s espionage expanded
from military and business intelligence in the past to agricultural
intelligence.
MO Hailong is Beijing “Da Bei Nong Group" staff with
U.S. green cards.
Last December, MO Hailcong was arrested and another five
people were indicted.
Six people were accused of corn seeds theft from experimental
plots of “DuPont Pioneer" Company and “Monsanto" Company.
The corn seed theft case begun in May 2011.
Mo Hailong and accomplice Wang Lei were found crawling and
stealing corn seeds surreptitiously in a cornfield in east-central
“DuPont" experimental farm.
Next, the FBI monitored MO Hailong and his accomplices for
one year to record their conversations, including details on how
they collect and use the seeds.
According to the indictment sheet, MO Hailong gangs purchased
a small plot to breed hybrid seeds by crossing the inbred seeds
with another.
Federal prosecutors said it can take 5-8 years research and from up
to 30 million to 40 million U.S. dollars cost to develop an hybrid
seed.
China Agricultural Bioengineering scholar Zhang Kai pointed
out that,
it would save a lot of money and research time to make
high-producing hybrid seeds by crossing stolen inbred seeds
with another.
China Agricultural Bioengineering expert Zhang Kai:
“High-yielding seed development requires a lot of time because
it requires multi-department cooperation in seed selection
and pre-plant.
It may take a lot of efforts to improve specific genetic traits by
screening the traits and pests and disease resistance according
to the development direction after seed selection."
In addition, Zhang Kai pointed out that a bioengineering research
project required multi-department cooperation and coordination
with lots of time and effort.
Zhang Kai: Without coordination, even with investing a lot of
money, it is hard to get a good seed.
The seed from a laboratory cannot fit in with nature and
needs screening.
The screen may take 5 or 6 years, even longer.
December 13, 2013, two more Chinese agricultural scientists
were arrested.
China rice geneticist Dr. Yan Wengui and agricultural seed
cultivation staff Zhang Weiqiang
were accused of stealing patented rice seed in a Kansas
research facility and transferred to the visiting Chinese delegation
in United States.
U.S. counterintelligence executive Secretary Brenner has
pointed out that,
the CCP intelligence services frequently obtained relevant
information previously in the U.S. to fully grasp the
new technology.
US Chinese magazine “China Affairs" Chief editor Wu
Fan pointed out that,
the CCP expanded espionage from military and business
intelligence in the past to agricultural information now.
US Chinese magazine “China Affairs" chief editor Wu Fan:
“They wanted to steal corn seed to study production from
the most famous, largest and highest producing company, named
Monsanto in Oregon, US."
Wu Fan analyzed that it’s not business or personal protocol to
steal foreign agricultural produced seeds to improve
production.
It is because Chinese agricultural production continues to
decline and has to rely heavily on imported food to maintain
supplies.
Wu Fan: “Why does a person steal the seeds? Does he steal it
to plant? The government may steal it to expand cultivation.
That way, they don’t need to invest money or time to repeatedly do
research and they can catch up in one step by stealing
new seeds. “
Zhang Kai pointed out that this stolen seed probably mutated
due to environmental change.
The mutated seeds might cause change in growth traits and
affect species.
It may become a disaster to potentially threaten and destroy
the environment.
Interview & Edit/LiYun Post-Production/ZhongYuan
