US citizen, 4 Chinese intelligence officers charged with spying on pro-democracy activists, dissidents

The Justice Department indicted a U.S. citizen and four Chinese intelligence officers for allegedly spying on pro-democracy activists and Chinese dissidents.

Prosecutors say New York resident Shujun Wang, 73, worked with four members of China‘s Ministry of State Security (MSS), reporting to them about members of a pro-democracy group that he started in Queens.

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The indictment alleges that Wang acted as an agent of the People’s Republic of China from at least 2005 until March 16, 2022, under MSS control, and “used his position … within the Chinese diaspora community in the New York metropolitan area to collect information about Chinese dissidents, human rights leaders and democracy advocates in the United States and elsewhere and to pass that information to the PRC govemment[.]”

Federal authorities say that Chinese officials instructed Wang to target people and groups that supported causes such as Uyghurs, Tibet, Taiwanese independence, and democracy for Hong Kong.

Wang allegedly met in person with MSS officials in China, communicated with them through a messaging application, and shared information with them through email diaries.

The Chinese officials facing charges are Feng He, Jie Li, Ming Li, and Keqing Lu.

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“We will not tolerate efforts by the PRC or any authoritarian government to export repressive measures to our country,” Assistant Attorney General for the DOJ’s National Security Division Matthew Olsen said in a statement. “These charges demonstrate the Justice Department’s unwavering commitment to hold accountable all those who violate our laws in seeking to suppress dissenting voices within the United States and to prevent our residents from exercising their lawful rights