In late April 2014, the U.S. government announced a $5 million bounty for information leading to the arrest of a Chinese national and resident, Li Fangwei. Known more prominently in the U.S. as Karl Lee, an accompanying indictment described him as a "principal contributor" to the Iranian ballistic missile program. The reward is unprecedented in the U.S. government's efforts to end the activities of an individual in supplying prohibited WMD programs.
Li and his network of companies have also been sanctioned numerous times by the U.S. -- accounting for a large number of non-proliferation sanctions on Chinese entities over the past decade. Using information from U.S. designations, Chinese government and commercial databases, Project Alpha based at King's College London has mapped out in great detail the extent of Li's operations. This research suggests that Li is not merely playing the role of middleman, but that he is also expanding his business interests in the manufacture of sensitive technologies. |