California campaign manager charged as Chinese foreign agent – The National
A Chinese national was arrested Thursday on charges of acting as an illegal agent Beijing two years ago while working as a campaign manager for an unnamed politician who was elected to a city council in Southern California.
The arrest of Yaoning “Mike” Sun, 64, comes amid growing concerns that the Chinese government is building a network of operatives to influence local elections in the United States to install politicians friendly to Beijing who could help promote China’s interests.
Sun is accused of conspiracy with Chen Jun, who was sentenced to 20 months in prison last month for acting as an illegal agent of the Chinese government, according to a complaint filed Tuesday in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California.
Chen, 71, a Chinese citizen, pleaded guilty in July to undermining the anti-Beijing spiritual group Falun Gong to bribe federal agents with Chinese money. The indictment against Sun alleges that Chen also conspired to interfere in local elections.
It was not immediately clear if Sun had an attorney available to speak on his behalf.
Suna Chen has been tasked with writing a report to Chinese officials in 2023 to explain how they helped elect a local politician. Subsequent texts between the two men described the city councilman as a “new political star” and demanded $80,000 to fund more pro-Beijing activities in the United States, according to court documents.
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Chen asked Sun to list all the major American politicians the city councilor had met, telling Sun that it would be very effective to “elevate” the status of the councilor in China.
“This case is yet another example of a very troubling trend: The People’s Republic of China is trying to influence the foreign and domestic policies of the United States,” Martin Estrada, US attorney for the Central District of California, told reporters in a phone call. . “To this end, government officials in China are trying to help elect people they see as friendly to China’s foreign policy.”
Accusations against Sun a former aide to two New York governors in September. Authorities have accused Linda Sun of acting as an illegal agent of the Chinese government and using her position to subtly advance Beijing’s agenda in exchange for millions of dollars in financial benefits.
In California, Estrada said Yaoning Sun was ideologically invested in furthering the Chinese government’s interests in the United States, noting that he had previously served in the Chinese military. The complaint does not list financial gains for Yaoning Sun, who is apparently not related to Linda Sun because they share a common Chinese name.
The filing alleges that Yaoning Sun, a resident of Chino Hills outside Los Angeles, also co-operated with the council member a media outlet called US News Center and paid part of the politician’s travel expenses.
Prosecutors say Su worked closely with Chen, who appeared to be in regular contact with Chinese officials. Their communications included how to protest a proposed visit by a US congressman to Taiwan, a self-governing island that Beijing sees as part of Chinese territory.
The men discussed how to set up a meeting for the politician to meet with a senior Chinese diplomat in Los Angeles and arrange travel plans for the politician’s visit to China.
© 2024 The Canadian Press
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