The reason I asked the question is because sometimes there is a tendency to think of "China" as a monolithic entity and say "China" is spying on companies or pu

The reason I asked the question is because sometimes there is a tendency to think of "China" as a monolithic entity and say "China" is spying on companies or putting bugs in the cellular equipment and so on. I've even caught myself doing that. But it's a lazy way of thinking because China is full of individuals pursuing their own goals. It is for the same reason that I asked whether the person copied the files to his own system or his employer's. No doubt this person has their own interest in computers and technology, and it's entirely reasonable to think that they would want the MIT CSAIL files for themselves, outside of any orders from their employer to copy the information.