Chinese national charged with acting as Beijing’s agent in local California election
WASHINGTON — A Chinese national was arrested Thursday on charges of acting as one illegal agent for Beijing when he was campaign manager for an unnamed politician who was elected to the Southern California City Council two years ago.
The arrest of Yaoning “Mike” Sun, 64, came at a time of growing concern that the Chinese government is network of agents to influence local elections in the US to install politicians who are friendly to Beijing and can help advance Chinese interests.
According to a complaint filed Tuesday in the United States District Court for the Central District of California, Sun is accused of conspiring with Chen Junwho was sentenced last month to twenty months for acting 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 indictment against Sun shows that Chen also conspired to disrupt local elections.
It was not immediately clear whether Sun had an attorney who could speak on his behalf.
Sun was instructed by Chen to prepare a report in 2023 to tell Chinese officials how they helped the local politician get elected, the affidavit said. Subsequent writings between the two men described the city councilor as a “new political star” and included a request for $80,000 to fund more pro-Beijing activities in the United States, according to court documents.
Chen asked Sun to list all the mainstream American politicians the councilor was familiar with, telling Sun that it would be “very effective in raising the councilor’s status in China.”
“This case is yet another example of a deeply troubling trend: the People’s Republic of China is attempting to influence foreign and domestic policy in the United States,” Martin Estrada, the U.S. attorney for the Central District of California, said in a call with reporters. . “To do this, government officials in China seek to help elected individuals who they believe are friendly to Chinese foreign policy.”
The charges against Sun followed the one against a former assistant 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 exchange for financial benefits worth millions of dollars.
In California, Estrada said Yaoning Sun appeared ideologically invested in advancing the Chinese government’s interests in the United States, noting that he had previously served in the Chinese military. The complaint does not specify any financial benefits for Yaoning Sun, who is likely not related to Linda Sun because they share a common Chinese name.
The affidavit alleges that Yaoning Sun, a resident of Chino Hills outside Los Angeles, also ran a media company called the “US News Center” with the counsel and paid some of the politician’s travel expenses.
Prosecutors say Sun worked closely with Chen, who appeared to be in regular contact with Chinese officials. Their communications included how to protest a U.S. congressman’s proposed 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 China’s top diplomat in Los Angeles and arrange travel plans for the politician to visit China.
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