Justice Department accuses China of spying on, intimidating dissidents living in U.S.

WASHINGTON, March 16 (Reuters) – U.S. federal prosecutors accused Chinese government agents on Wednesday of trying to spy on and intimidate dissidents living in the United States, bringing at least three criminal cases, including one involving a congressional candidate.

Justice Department officials said the cases amounted to “transnational repression” by an authoritarian government, including a discussion of assaulting one dissident.

“These cases expose attempts by the government of the People’s Republic of China to suppress dissenting voices within the United States and demonstrate how the PRC attempts to stalk, intimidate, and silence those who oppose them,” Assistant Attorney General Matthew Olsen told a news conference.

In one of the cases, federal prosecutors said a Chinese government agent asked a U.S. private investigator to help manufacture a political scandal that would undermine a China-born man seeking the Democratic nomination to run for a New York seat in the U.S. House of Representatives.

At one point, the Chinese agent proposed that the private investigator consider physically attacking the candidate to prevent his candidacy, according to prosecutors.

“You can start thinking now, aside from violence, what other plans are there,” the Chinese agent allegedly said. “But in the end, violence would be fine too. Huh? Beat him, beat him until he cannot run for election.”

The candidate was not identified in court documents, but fits the description of Xiong Yan, who is seeking the Democratic nomination to run for a House seat representing the eastern part of New York’s Long Island. The seat is held by Republican Lee Zeldin, who opted to run for governor rather than seek reelection.

Yan did not respond to a request for comment.

In another case, Chinese government agents are accused of planting surveillance equipment in a California-based artist’s workplace and car to spy on him. The agents also allegedly destroyed artwork created by the artist, a Chinese national residing in Los Angeles.

The Chinese embassy in Washington did not respond to a request for comment.

“These charges show that both election interference and malign foreign influence remain top priorities for the DOJ,” said Brandon Van Grack, a former Justice Department lawyer now at Morrison & Foerster who is not involved in the cases.

The United States last year sanctioned Russia for having tried to interfere in the 2020 presidential election, a claim that Russia denies.

Last month the Justice Department ended a program focused on fighting Chinese espionage and intellectual property theft at universities, shifting to address threats from a broader array of hostile nations.

Critics said that initiative, put in place during then-President Donald Trump’s administration, amounted to racial profiling and that it created a culture of fear that has chilled scientific research. read more

Reporting by Jan Wolfe; Additional reporting by Jonathan Stempel and David Brunstrom; Editing by Scott Malone, Bill Berkrot, Howard Goller and Jonathan Oatis

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.