A Chinese American scholar, Shujun Wang, was convicted in New York of acting as a foreign agent for China’s Ministry of State Security by gathering information on dissidents and feeding it to the Chinese government. Wang pleaded not guilty, but was found guilty by a federal jury. His lawyers argued that he was forthcoming with U.S. authorities and that his communications were not truly under Chinese officials’ direction.
Wang faces up to 25 years in prison and his sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 9. Four Chinese officials charged alongside him remain at large. U.S. prosecutors have been pursuing individuals involved in “transnational repression” to combat harassment and threats against critics living abroad.
The Chinese embassy in Washington denies engaging in such practices and accuses the U.S. of slander and political manipulation. Wang, who became a U.S. citizen after teaching in China, founded a memorial foundation for two Chinese Communist Party leaders. Prosecutors allege that Wang acted as a covert conduit for information that Beijing wanted on various dissidents and pro-democracy activists.
He composed emails styled as diaries that were saved as drafts for Chinese intelligence officers to access. Despite initially denying ties to the Ministry of State Security, Wang later admitted to gathering information on democracy advocates. His lawyers characterized him as a gregarious academic, and witnesses testified that Wang seemed willing to comply with investigators when his phone was seized.
Overall, the case highlights the tensions between the U.S. and China over alleged espionage and interference in each other’s internal affairs.
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