A Chino Hills man was charged with acting as an illegal agent of China for allegedly working to influence Southern California local governments to favor Chinese policies.
The Chinese government allegedly used a Chino Hills man in an effort to advance policies favorable to the People's Republic of China in Southern California local governments, according to a criminal complaint released Thursday. Yaoning 'Mike' Sun, 64, was charged with acting as an illegal agent of a foreign power and conspiring with another man — John Chen — who had been plotting to target U.S.-based practitioners of Falun Gong , a spiritual practice banned in China.
Chen was sentenced last month to 20 months in prison for acting as an unregistered agent of the People's Republic of China and bribing an Internal Revenue Service agent. Sun, a Chinese national, served as the campaign manager and business partner for a Southern California politician, described in court records only as Individual 1. The politician was running for local elected office in 2022. During the campaign, prosecutors allege, Sun communicated with Chen about his efforts to get the politician elected to a city council. Chen relayed information to officials in the Chinese government officials about how it could influence local-level politicians in the United States, particularly in getting them to oppose Taiwan's independence, according to the complaint. U.S. Atty. Martin Estrada called the case 'another example of a very disturbing trend' of the Chinese government seeking to influence foreign and domestic policies in the United States. China takes a broad approach, he said, including connecting with local government officials who might not yet be on the national stage. Estrada said a goal of the scheme was to reduce 'support in our country for Falun Gong and ... for pro-democracy movements in China.' The scope of the effort and whether it led to any concrete actions to favor China is unclear. But the indictment comes at a time of souring U.S.-China relations and a looming trade war as President-elect Donald Trump prepares to return to the White Hous
CHINA FOREIGN INFLUENCE POLITICS FALUN GONG US-CHINA RELATIONS
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