A man has been charged and arrested for allegedly serving as an illegal agent for the Chinese government in managing a winning campaign for an unnamed city council candidate in Southern California.
Yaoning “Mike” Sun, 64, was arrested last week by US officials with accusations of conspiring with a fellow Chinese national, Chen Jun, who was sentenced to 20 months for acting as an illegal agent under the People’s Republic of China (PRC).
Chen, 71, pleaded guilty in July to bribing a US Internal Revenue Service agent to undermine a US-based, anti-Beijing spiritual group, Falun Gong. According to the government’s affidavit in the case against Sun, Chen communicated with Sun throughout 2022 and 2023 regarding US local politicians China could “influence,” particularly on the issue of Taiwan, according to The Guardian.
After winning the 2022 election, Sun, acting as campaign manager and “close personal confidante” to the politician, was ordered by Chen to write a report to be sent to Chinese government officials, the complaint said. The following year, another report was instructed to detail how the two men were “cultivating and assisting (politician’s) success.”
The two referred to the councilperson as a “new political star” in another exchange. They discussed how to set up a meeting for the politician to meet with the top Chinese diplomats in Los Angeles as well as arrange travel for a visit to China.
Chen also provided feedback on Sun’s draft report, suggesting that he include details regarding their “past struggle fighting Taiwanese independence forces in a named California city over the years and fighting (Falun Gong) influences in that city,” as stated in the complaint.
Other writings between the two included Sun submitting a proposal to participate in an Independence Day parade in Washington, D.C., to combat “anti-China forces” and requesting $80,000 to be invested in US-based, pro-PRC activities, according to US court documents.
The identity of the politician is unclear, but Sun is recorded as campaign treasurer for Eileen Wang, a city council candidate in Arcadia, in San Gabriel Valley, in early 2022. However, another treasurer was listed in filings later in 2022. Wang did not respond to The Guardian’s request for comment.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry said it was unfamiliar with the case but that “China never interferes in the internal affairs of other countries,” according to The Guardian.
Sun could receive a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison if found guilty on all counts, as stated by prosecutors.
This case raises concerns that the Chinese government has established a network of agents to influence U.S. politicians and promote its own interests.
The former aide to New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and her predecessor, Andrew Cuomo, were charged with acting as an unreported agent of the Chinese government months prior. Linda Sun, Hochul’s former deputy chief of staff, was arrested in September for failing to register as a foreign agent, visa fraud, alien smuggling, and money laundering.
Sun was also accused of curtailing the state’s relationship with Taiwan and prohibiting Taiwanese officials from meeting with Cuomo, an island China sees as part of its territory and not an independent nation.
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