A Chinese academic has been convicted in the United States for illegally acting as a foreign agent. Wang Shujun was found guilty on Tuesday of collecting information about New York-based activists supporting democracy in China and sharing his findings with Beijing.
Conviction And Charges
Wang Shujun was convicted on four counts, including acting as a foreign agent without notifying the US attorney general and lying to US authorities. The verdict was delivered after a week-long trial in Brooklyn federal court. Wang faces up to 25 years in prison when sentenced on January 9, 2025.
Deceptive Activities
Federal prosecutors revealed that Wang, a naturalized US citizen, falsely presented himself as a fierce opponent of the Chinese Communist Party. This ruse helped him gain the trust of Hong Kong pro-democracy activists, advocates for Taiwanese independence, and campaigners for Uyghur and Tibetan rights. In reality, Wang was spying on these activists and sharing his findings with four officials from China’s Ministry of State Security (MSS), an intelligence agency.
Breon Peace, the top federal prosecutor in Brooklyn, stated, “The indictment could have been the plot of a spy novel, but the evidence is shockingly real. Wang was willing to betray those who respected and trusted him.”
Arrest And Legal Defense
Wang, who emigrated to the United States in 1994, was arrested in March 2022. His defense lawyer, Zachary Margulis-Ohnuma, argued that Wang spoke to the Chinese intelligence officials to gain their support for promoting social change rather than acting as their agent. Margulis-Ohnuma respected the jury’s verdict but expressed hope for a lenient sentence to spare Wang the “agony” of prison.
“We look forward to sentencing,” Margulis-Ohnuma told reporters. “He’s a 76-year-old man. He certainly didn’t mean to hurt anyone. He’s spent his life fighting the communist regime.”
Crackdown On Transnational Repression
The US Department of Justice has intensified its crackdown on “transnational repression” by adversaries like China and Iran. This term refers to the surveillance, intimidation, and, in some cases, attempted repatriation or murder of activists opposing those governments.
Last year, a former New York City police sergeant was convicted of acting as a Chinese agent by intimidating a US-based fugitive to return to China and face charges. US prosecutors have also charged four Chinese intelligence officers who allegedly acted as Wang’s handlers. These officers remain at large and are believed to be in China.
(With Inputs from Reuters)
