Beijing-based Sinovel broke the law in its efforts to obtain software developed by the U.S. company, AMSC, to manage the flow of electricity from wind turbines into electrical grids, they said.

"Sinovel nearly destroyed an American company by stealing its intellectual property," Assistant Attorney General John Cronan said in a statement Wednesday following the verdict.

The conviction comes at a sensitive time for business relations between the U.S. and China. President Trump on Monday slapped tariffs on imports of solar panels, a big Chinese industry. His administration is also investigating Chinese practices that result in the illegal transfer of U.S. commercial secrets.

The Chinese company said in a statement that it's "taking measures to protect the company's interests, and will turn to legal means to safeguard the company's legal rights and protect the rights of its minority holders."

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