A California campaign manager has been indicted as a foreign agent of China – nationally
A Chinese national was arrested Thursday on charges of being an illegal agent of Beijing while working as a campaign manager for an unnamed politician who was elected to a city council in Southern California two years ago.
The arrest of Yaoning “Mike” Sun, 64, comes amid growing concern that the Chinese government has cultivated a network of operatives to influence domestic elections in the US to include politicians friendly to Beijing and could help promote Chinese interests.
According to the complaint filed Tuesday in the US District Court for the Central District of California, Sun is accused of conspiring with Chen Jun, who was sentenced to 20 months last month for being an illegal agent of the Chinese government.
Chen, 71, also of Chinese descent, pleaded guilty in July to using Chinese money to bribe diplomats to discredit the anti-Beijing spiritual group Falun Gong. The indictment against Sun shows that Chen also conspired to interfere in local elections.
It was not clear whether Langa has a lawyer to speak for him.
Sun was ordered by Chen to write a report in 2023 to tell Chinese officials how he helped a local politician get elected, according to the affidavit. Subsequent correspondence between the two men described the city councilor as a “new political star” and included a request for $80,000 to fund other Beijing activities in the United States, according to court documents.
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Chen asked Sun to list all the ordinary American politicians the city councilor had known and told Sun that it would be “very effective to promote” the councilor's position in China.
“This case is another example of a very disturbing trend: the People's Republic of China seeks to influence foreign and domestic policy in the United States,” said Martin Estrada, US attorney for the Central District of California, when he spoke to reporters. . “To do this, government officials in China want to help select people they see as friendly to China's foreign policy.”
The charges against Sun follow those against a former aide to two New York governors in September. Authorities have accused Linda Sun of working as an illegal agent of the Chinese government and using her position to subtly advance Beijing's agenda for financial benefits of millions of dollars.
In California, Estrada said Yaoning Sun appears to be psychologically invested in advancing the Chinese government's interests in the United States, noting that he once served in the Chinese military. The complaint does not specify the financial benefits of Yaoning Sun, who may not be related to Linda Sun because they share a common Chinese name.
In the affidavit, it is alleged that Yaoning Sun, a resident of Chino Hills outside Los Angeles, also owned a media outlet called “US News Center” and the council paid some of the politician's travel expenses.
Prosecutors say Sun worked closely with Chen, who appeared to be in regular contact with Chinese officials. Their communication included how to oppose a proposed visit by a US congressman to Taiwan, an island that Beijing rules as part of China's territory.
The men discussed how to set up a meeting for the politician to meet with a top Chinese diplomat in Los Angeles and arrange travel arrangements for the politician to visit China.
© 2024 The Canadian Press
