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ByPaulElias TheAssociatedPress SANFRANCISCO ThreeChi- nese nationals who earned advanced degrees from the University of Southern Cali- fornia and three others have been charged with stealing wireless technology from a pair of U.S. companies. Federal prosecutors say Hao Zhang, Wei Pang and Huisui Zhang met at the university and conspired to steal technology from Sky- works Solutions Inc. and Avago technologies soon af- ter graduating in 2006. A 32-page indictment charging the six with eco- nomic espionage and trade secret theft was unsealed after Hao Zhang was ar- rested Saturday at Los An- geles International Airport after arriving from China to attend a scientific con- ference. The five others are believed to be in China. Federal officials say for- eign governments' theft of U.S. technology is one of the biggest threats to the coun- try's economy and national security. They are particu- larly concerned with China. State Depar tment spokesman Jeff Rathke said Tuesday the U.S. govern- ment takes "economic espi- onage" very seriously. "This case demonstrates that the U.S. is committed to protecting U.S. compa- nies' trade secrets and their proprietary business infor- mation from theft. This is an important issue for the United States," he told re- porters in Washington. A spokesperson at the Chinese Embassy in Wash- ington did not immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday. The Chi- nese consulate in San Fran- cisco was unaware of the in- dictment and declined com- ment. The indictment alleges that the three USC alums began plotting in late 2006 to steal trade secrets from the U.S. companies where Hao Zhang and Wei Pang worked. Months after their 2006 graduation, Wei Pang sent an email to China discuss- ing the trio's plan to use purloined U.S. trade secrets to set up a factory in China to manufacture technology that eliminates interference from wireless communica- tions, according to the in- dictment. Wei Pang boasted in the same email that the technology is worth $1 bil- lion a year in the phone market alone, according to the indictment. The indictment alleges that the men stole "recipes, source code, specifications, presentations, design lay- outs and other documents marked as confidential." Hao Zhang made a brief court appearance Monday in Los Angeles and remains in custody. In 2006, Hao Zhang worked for Skyworks Solu- tions Inc. in Woburn, Mas- sachusetts, and Wei Pang took a job in Fort Collins, Colorado, with Avago Tech- nologies, which has head- quarters in San Jose, Cali- fornia, and Singapore. Wei Pang allegedly sent an email to two other defen- dants soon after, forward- ing notes he took during a work meeting in 2006. "My work is to make ev- ery possible effort to find out about the process's ev- ery possible detail and copy directly to China," Wei Pang is alleged to have written. Hao Zhang and Wei Pang quit their U.S. jobs in spring of 2009 to become profes- sors at Tianjin University, a prestigious Chinese college 130 miles southeast of Bei- jing. The men worked with administrators and a grad- uate student to establish a Chinese company to make the technology. Avago executives became suspicious of the Tianjin team when they saw Hao Zhang' patent applications for technology created by the company, according the indictment. Richard Ruby, Pang's for- mer boss at Avago attended a conference in China in late 2001 and toured the new Tianjin lab created by the defendants, according to the indictment. During that tour, Ruby recognized tech- nology stolen from Avago and confronted Wei Pang and Jingpin Chen, a college dean, the indictment stated. Wei Pang and Jingpin Chen denied stealing any technology, according to the indictment. ESPIONAGE 6 Ch in es e na ti on al s cha rg ed with stealing US trade secrets The Associated Press SACRAMENTO Califor- nia Gov. Jerry Brown and leaders from 11 other states and provinces are signing a pact on climate change that vows to reduce carbon emissions. The Democratic governor says leaders from regions in Brazil, Canada, Germany, Mexico, Spain, the United Kingdom and other U.S. states have vowed to push other regional governments to sign on before U.N. cli- mate talks in Paris later this year. The non-binding agree- ment pledges to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 80 to 95 percent below 1990 levels by 2050. Cali- fornia has already adopted a more aggressive timeline. Brown met with lead- ers from six governments in Sacramento on Tuesday before briefly addressing re- porters. He says the regional lead- ers want to create pressure from below to force their national governments to do more on climate change. EMISSIONS Leaders sign non-binding climate pact Thank you! PLEASE RECYCLE THIS NEWSPAPER. "This case demonstrates that the U.S. is committed to protecting U.S. companies' trade secrets and their proprietary business information from theft. This is an important issue for the United States." — Jeff Rathke, State Department spokesman TICKETSJUST$15EACH,GETYOURSNOW! INCLUDESFIGHTNIGHTBUFFET&$5FREESLOTPLAY INCLUDES FIGHT NIGHT BUFFET & $5 FREE SLOT PLAY LIMITED TO FIRST 300 PEOPLE. MUST BE 21 TO ATTEND. 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