China’s consul general in New York left his post as scheduled, on completion of posting last month, the State Department said on Wednesday. This came in hours after New York’s governor said she asked for his removal following the arrest of one of her aides for secretly acting as a Chinese agent.
State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller told reporters that Consul General Huang Ping “was not expelled.”
“Our understanding is that the consul general reached the end of a regular scheduled rotation in August. And so, he rotated out of the position, but was not expelled,” Miller said.
China’s embassy in Washington said Chinese diplomats do not interfere in the internal affairs of other nations.
“Their normal performance of duties in the U.S. should not be interfered with or disrupted in any way,” an embassy spokesperson said.They added that reports saying the Chinese envoy was expelled were false and making “malicious speculations.”
According to the website of China’s consulate in New York, Huang Ping has been the consul general since November 2018. Prior to that, he served as a Chinese ambassador to Zimbabwe. He also did stints as an official at the embassy in Washington and China’s consulate in Chicago.
Arrest Of Governor’s Aide
Earlier on Wednesday, New York Governor Kathy Hochul said that “I had conveyed my desire to have the consul general from the People’s Republic of China in the New York mission expelled.”
“And I’ve been informed that the consul general is no longer in the New York mission,” she said.
Miller said Hochul had spoken on Wednesday to Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell.
Linda Sun, 41, a former aide to Hochul, was charged on Tuesday. She was charged for secretly acting as an agent of the Chinese government in exchange for compensation.
Sun and her husband, Chris Hu, 40, pleaded not guilty to criminal charges. They were presented before the U.S. Magistrate Judge Peggy Kuo in Brooklyn, after being arrested on Tuesday morning.
Unethical Practices
Federal prosecutors in Brooklyn said that while working in state government, Sun blocked representatives of the Taiwanese government from meeting with officials. She also sought to arrange for a high-level New York state official to visit China, they said. In exchange, Chinese government representatives allegedly arranged for millions of dollars for Hu, who had business activities in China.
Prosecutors said Sun and Hu used the money to buy a 2024 Ferrari Roma sports car. They also bought property on New York’s Long Island and in Honolulu worth about $6 million.
Hochul was not accused of any wrongdoing. Her office fired Sun in March 2023 after discovering evidence of misconduct. It also reported Sun’s actions immediately to authorities. Her office also has assisted law enforcement throughout the process, a spokesperson for the governor said.
