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Yuanjun Tang, a 67-year-old man from Queens, New York, was arrested on Wednesday and charged with acting as an illegal agent for the Chinese government, allegedly spying on pro-Democracy activists and dissidents in the U.S. between 2018 and 2023. He faces a maximum of 20 years in prison if convicted.
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What did Tang do?: According to the Department of Justice, Tang provided China’s Ministry of State Security (MSS) with information about individuals and groups deemed adverse to China’s interests and helped them infiltrate a group chat used by dissidents. He is also accused of making false statements to the FBI regarding his communications with MSS. Tang, who had previously been imprisoned in China for his dissident activities, was granted asylum in the U.S. and later became a citizen.
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Chinese Embassy’s statement: A Chinese Embassy spokesperson stated they were unaware of the case and emphasized that China expects its citizens abroad to follow local laws. They also rejected any “groundlessly slandering and smearing” against China. This case comes after another Chinese American citizen from Brooklyn, Shujun Wang, was convicted of acting as a foreign agent for Beijing since 2006 without notifying the attorney general. Similar to Tang’s case, Wang gathered detailed information on U.S.-based activists, including dissidents’ contact information, for China’s MSS. This indictment is part of a broader Justice Department effort against transnational repression by Beijing, which has included other high-profile cases.
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