A Chinese national was arrested on Thursday for illegal spying activities Beijing when he served as campaign manager for an unnamed politician who was elected to a Southern California city council two years ago.
The arrest of 64-year-old Yaoning “Mike” Sun came at a time of growing concern that the Chinese government has built a network of activists to influence local elections in the United States and install and promote politicians friendly to Beijing Chinese interests can contribute.
According to a lawsuit filed Tuesday in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, Sun is accused of conspiring with Chen Jun, who was sentenced last month to 20 months in prison for his work as an illegal agent of the Chinese government.
Chen, 71, also a Chinese citizen, pleaded guilty in July to using Chinese money to bribe federal agents to undermine the anti-Beijing spiritual group Falun Gong. The charges against Sun show that Chen also conspired to disrupt the local elections.
It was not immediately clear whether Sun had an attorney who could speak on his behalf.
According to the affidavit, Sun was ordered by Chen to write a report in 2023 to tell Chinese officials how they helped the local politician get elected. Later correspondence between the two men described the councilman as a “new political star” and included a request for $80,000 to fund further pro-Beijing activities in the United States, court documents say.
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Chen asked Sun to list all mainstream U.S. politicians with whom the city council was familiar, telling Sun that it would be “very effective” to elevate the city council’s status in China.
“This case is another example of a very disturbing trend: the People’s Republic of China is attempting to influence the foreign and domestic policies of the United States,” Martin Estrada, U.S. attorney for the Central District of California, said in a phone call with reporters . “To achieve this, government officials in China are trying to help recruit elected figures who they believe are friendly to Chinese foreign policy.”
The charges against Sun followed those against a former advisor 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 positions to subtly advance Beijing’s agenda in return for millions of dollars in financial benefits.
In California, Estrada said that Yaoning Sun appeared to be ideologically interested in promoting the Chinese government’s interests in the United States, noting that he had previously served in the Chinese military. The complaint does not mention any financial benefits for Yaoning Sun, who is likely not related to Linda Sun because they share a Chinese name.
The affidavit alleges that Yaoning Sun, a resident of Chino Hills outside Los Angeles, also ran a media company called US News Center with the city council and paid some of the politician’s travel expenses.
Prosecutors allege Sun worked closely with Chen, who appears to be in regular contact with Chinese officials. Their messages included how to protest a U.S. congressman’s planned visit to Taiwan, a self-governing island that Beijing considers part of Chinese territory.
The men discussed how to arrange a meeting for the politician to meet with the top Chinese diplomat in Los Angeles and arrange travel plans for the politician to China.
&Copy 2024 The Canadian Press
