A former high-ranking aide to New York Governor Kathy Hochul has been charged with acting as an unregistered agent for China, highlighting the vast and insidious reach of Beijing’s influence operations in the United States. Linda Sun and her husband allegedly promoted the Chinese Communist Party’s agenda on key issues, including Taiwan and the Uyghur genocide, in exchange for millions of dollars from China.
This case is just the tip of the iceberg in China’s illicit influence campaigns against the US. Other recent examples include the case of Fang Fang, a Chinese spy who infiltrated the office of Rep. Eric Swalwell, and the still-unnamed spy who worked in the office of the late Sen. Dianne Feinstein. FBI Director Christopher Wray has warned that Chinese espionage efforts are a major concern, with cases increasing by 1,300% over the past decade.
China’s influence operations extend far beyond the federal level, targeting state and local governments, as well as the next generation of politicians. This is why Governor Tim Walz’s long-term relationship with China warrants closer scrutiny. China’s tactics are not limited to the US; they have also been used to influence politicians in the UK, where lawyer Christine Lee was identified as a Chinese agent, and in New Zealand, where two Chinese agents served in parliament.
Despite the gravity of the threat, the Biden administration has weakened the FBI’s ability to counter Chinese espionage by ending the Trump-era “China Initiative.” This program was designed to detect Chinese spies in the US academic and scientific communities and had broad support in the national security community. However, the Justice Department claimed it was prejudicial and unfair, a move that China has exploited to promote its own narrative that any efforts to constrain its espionage activity are motivated by bigotry.
China’s espionage and influence operations are not limited to politics; they also target the US scientific community. A recent report by the private intelligence company Strider found that at least 162 scientists who worked at Los Alamos National Laboratory returned to China to support domestic research and development programs, helping to advance key military and dual-use technologies.
Furthermore, China is also determined to undermine the First Amendment rights of the public. A recent Washington Post expose documented how Chinese diplomats organized the harassment and physical attacks against law-abiding protesters during Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to San Francisco. Similar incidents have occurred in the UK, where Chinese diplomats attacked protesters outside a Chinese Consulate.
These incidents demonstrate that China’s diplomats and security officials are notorious for their poor behavior abroad and that China views diplomacy and espionage as interchangeable tools in its pursuit of dominance. Beijing’s claim that it does not interfere in the affairs of others is a blatant lie.
