American arrested, Chinese officials charged with spying in US

Robert Besser
23 May 2022, 16:28 GMT+10

The Department of Justice has said that an American citizen and four Chinese intelligence officers have been charged with spying
New York resident Wang Shujun, 73, is accused of using his position in the Chinese diaspora and dissident communities to collect information on behalf of China's Ministry of State Security
The Justice Department said Wang was arrested on 16th March and will be arraigned at a later date, while the four Chinese officials, identified as Feng He, Jie Ji, Ming Li and Keqing Lu, remain at large

WASHINGTON D.C.: The Department of Justice has said that an American citizen and four Chinese intelligence officers have been charged with spying on Chinese dissidents, human rights leaders and pro-democracy activists residing in the U.S.

New York resident Wang Shujun, 73, is accused of using his position in the Chinese diaspora and dissident communities to collect information on behalf of China's Ministry of State Security.

The Justice Department said Wang was arrested on 16th March and will be arraigned at a later date, while the four Chinese officials, identified as Feng He, Jie Ji, Ming Li and Keqing Lu, remain at large.

The indictment was unsealed this week in a federal court in Brooklyn.

Meanwhile, Breon Peace, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York said, "Today's indictment exposes and disrupts an operation by the People's Republic of China that threatens the safety and freedom of Chinese nationals residing in the U.S. on account of their pro-democracy beliefs and speech."

In a written statement provided to Reuters, the Chinese embassy in Washington D.C. responded, "The so-called accusations made by the U.S. is a pure fabrication. We urge the U.S. side to conduct a fair and lawful investigation, properly handle relevant cases, and safeguard the legal rights of the Chinese citizens involved."

The indictment claims that Wang has provided information to the Chinese since at least 2011, directed to target Hong Kong pro-democracy activists, advocates for Taiwanese independence and Uyghur and Tibetan activists.

Watch latest videos

News RELEASES

Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Toronto Telegraph.

More Information

26 ℃

Mostly Cloudy in Toronto

Business

Section

Stocks in Asia in retreat, Australian All Ordinaries loses nearly 2 percent

SYDNEY, NSW, Australia - Stocks in Asia traded sharply lower on Thursday, following on from major falls on Wall Street ...

Unable to staff airports, Germany to bring in foreign workers

BERLIN, Germany: A German Interior Ministry spokesperson has said that in a bid to relieve airports overwhelmed by staff shortages ...

France expects to reopen coal-fired power plant in Lorraine

PARIS, France: In a written statement made this week confirming a report from broadcaster RTL, France's energy ministry said the ...

U.S. stock markets struggle, dollar makes sudden jump higher

NEW YORK, New York - Wall Street struggled to find its footing on Wednesday after Fed chief Jerome Powell vowed ...

US farms planting unplanned crops due to chemical shortages

WASHINGTON D.C.: Due to persistent shortages of agricultural chemicals that threaten yields, U.S. farmers have cut back on using common ...

Northrop, Raytheon to build missile to shoot down hypersonic weapons

WASHINGTON D.C.: Raytheon Technologies and Northrop Grumman have won U.S. contracts to develop missiles to intercept hypersonic weapons.The decision means ...