The US Department of Justice said, on Wednesday, that a US citizen and four Chinese intelligence officers were accused of spying on Chinese dissidents, human rights leaders and pro-democracy activists in the United States.
Chinese flag in Beijing park.
Photo: KOKI KATAOKA / The Yomiuri Shimbun via AFP
According to the indictment, 73-year-old Wang Shujun, who lives in Queens, New York, used his status in the Chinese diaspora and opposition communities to gather information about activists on behalf of China’s Ministry of State Security. The man was instructed to target Hong Kong pro-democracy activists, Taiwan independence advocates, and Uyghur and Tibetan activists. The indictment says she has provided information to China since at least 2011. Wang was arrested on March 16 and will be brought to trial at a later time. The four state security officials (Feng He, Ji Jie, Ming Li and Qiqing Lu) are still at large.
Bron Pace, the attorney general for the Eastern District of New York, said.
He told Reuters at the Chinese embassy in Washington that the accusation of espionage was “pure lies”. “We call on the US side to conduct a fair and lawful investigation, properly handle relevant cases, and ensure the legal rights of relevant Chinese citizens,” they said in a statement. (NBC)
