SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — Sitting inside the House of China at Balboa Park, Natasha Wong, the President of the organization, is "sad" to hear the news that a San Diego-based man was arrested and faces espionage charges.
"It's another incident of where the public at large might have a perception that the Chinese are not loyal to America," said Wong.
On Thursday, multiple law enforcement agencies announced the arrests of two Navy sailors in California, both originally from China, who are accused of selling sensitive military information to China.
Jinchao Wei, aka Patrick Wei, is a 22-year-old sailor working in mechanics. He was arrested at Naval Base San Diego.
"This is not and will never be an indictment of the Chinese people or ethically Chinese Americans, this is solely based on individuals," said Stacey Moy with the Federal Bureau of Investigations during the announcement.
Despite the disclaimer from Agent Moy, comments containing anti-Asian rhetoric have been posted on social media in response to the news.
"I hope they would think harder about making those sort of statements and really get to know us," said Wong.
Wong witnessed the uptick in hate crimes against Asians in San Diego during the pandemic when phrases like "the China virus" were used regularly.
"It's really hurtful to our community because we love this country and San Diego so much and what these two gentlemen, these two sailors, did doesn't represent the rest of our community," said Wong.
