An American helping run the first “known” secret police station in the US on behalf of the Chinese government has pleaded guilty of the “crime”.
Chen Jinping and his co-defendent Lu Jianwang, prosecutors say, opened and operated the secret station on behalf of China’s Ministry of Public Security (MPS) in Manhattan’s Chinatown neighbourhood in early 2022, according to the BBC.
China has reportedly opened at least 100 such stations all across 53 countries, with right groups saying Beijing uses these outposts to “threaten” and “monitor” Chinese people abroad.
China has denied these allegations saying that they are “service stations” assisting nationals overseas with administration services.
Federal authorities revealed that the outpost occupying an entire floor above a ramen stall did assist Chinese nationals with driver licences renewing but it also aided Beijing in identifying pro-democracy activists living in the US.
The station was immediately closed in 2022’s autumn after the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) launched an investigation; however, prosecutors said that Chen and Lu destroyed text messages they exchanged with an official of the MPS and were arrested in April 2023.
Chen has pleaded guilty of acting as an agent for China and faces up to five years in prison when he is sentenced next year.
As for Lu, he has not pleaded guilty and awaits trial. He is accused of harassing a Chinese fugitive to return to China and also, on behalf of the Communist Party, he helped locate a pro-democracy activist in California.
