Summary
A New York man, Chen Jinping, pleaded guilty to operating an undeclared Chinese police station in Manhattan for China’s Ministry of Public Security.
The station, part of a transnational repression scheme, aided Beijing in locating and suppressing pro-democracy activists in the U.S., violating American sovereignty.
Authorities say the station also served routine functions like renewing Chinese driving licenses but had a more sinister role, including tracking a California-based activist.
Chen faces up to five years in prison, while a co-defendant has pleaded not guilty and awaits trial.
I’m trying to work out what specifically was illegal about all that? He was processing drivers licences for Chinese citizens. Ok. But as long as that doesn’t constitute ‘fake id’ then what’s the actual issue? He was locating Chinese citizens in America and passing that information back to China. Again, if he was acting as a private citizen (rather than, say, as a mole in an American government department) then isn’t that free speech? I’m being devil’s advocate somewhat, but doesn’t this amount to a private citizen making a phone call abroad and saying “hey, I heard so and so lives in California” and now the US government are penalising him?
As a matter of law, try not to just automatically think “china bad”, as that’s not the basis on him being prosecuted. Imagine an American who goes to the Carribbean looking for Americans who are fleeing taxes owed to the IRS (for arguments sake). If they acted within the bounds of what a private citizen can do (look up public records etc) then would it be right for them to be arrested as an “agent of America”?
That’s the kinda logic used to defend the upper class. “What did he really do?” Hyper focusing on specifics, rather than the actual act.
Acting as a foreign agent, directly operating under the orders of a foreign government under the jurisdiction of a sovereign country is a bit of a no go. No matter if it’s China or not. We here in Europe have similar events with American spies every dozen years (and Russian and Chinese too ofc).
The stuff you mention about handing out valid Chinese IDs is mostly irrelevant flavor text. It’s iffy maily because it was an unofficial station in the eyes of the US. Official embassies fulfill such roles too without issue.
I’m not being faecitious, but what was the “actual act”? If I was on holiday abroad and heard a fellow Brit, now a naturalised citizen of wherever, boasting about tax evasion and I snitched on them to the tax authorities in Britain, have I now done the same thing as an agent of the British government on foreign soil? Ive done an ostensibly legal act (made a phone call abroad) about something I legally came across as a private citizen, but if one wanted to, could that be cast as “colluding against a citizen on behalf of a foreign government”?
The difference in this case is this person was apparently being paid by the Chinese government. But I’m wondering what specifically about their actions was illegal? Surely if you go about your business doing legal things it doesn’t matter whether you’re on the payroll of a foreign government or not?
The US has no extradition treaty with China (or similar). So that would likely fall under spying and the “coercing a New Jersey man wanted by Beijing into returning to China” part is very much a major step over the line.
Edit: Also jeez people, he’s just asking relatively reasonable questions form ignorance, stop tearing him a new one! Being wrong shouldn’t immediately be cause for such backslash.
I’m not being faecitious
Now you’re just trying to lie to everyone here. If you can’t have an honest discussion you don’t deserve an opinion 🤷
These police officers are reported to also go after people of Chinese origin that have said things the CCP doesn’t like. Violating the right to free speech on USA soil doesn’t sit well with the local authorities and diplomats.
We’re they visiting them in person and physically intimidating them? That would make sense, but the article doesn’t say. I got the impression they were sending publicly available info on people to china. Which, while obviously unpleasant, I’m not sure how their being arrested doesn’t violate their freedom of speech.
Doesn’t work like that, my guy. They were targeting Chinese descendants, which would make them american.
Also this:
US officials have warned for years of Chinese determination to influence American policy and cultivate relationships with political figures, but also act to pressure US-Chinese nationals domestically.
I’m not trying to be facetious, but am interested in the logic of the law specifically. What was legally wrong about a private citizen sending a message abroad about publicly available information on someone?
I assume they were doing more nefarious things, but the article doesn’t specifically say.
But if ‘all’ they were doing was dealing with publicly available information, then I don’t follow the legal logic…
“private citizen sending a message abroad about publicly available information on someone?”
That is actually a pretty nefarious thing because it is targeted, as in spying. That’s what is not legal.
Just a quick search gave me this:
18 U.S.C. 2261A says, “Whoever (1) travels in interstate or foreign commerce or is present within the jurisdiction of the United States, with the intent to kill, injure, harass, intimidate, or place under surveillance, or intimidate another person, and in the course of, or as a result of, such travel or presence engages in conduct that (A) places that person in reasonable fear of the death of, or serious bodily injury to (i) that person; (ii) an immediate family member (iii) a spouse or intimate partner of that person….”
In this case, there is an intent to have repercussions. I was wondering as well why Private Investigators are allowed to do this and in short, they are regulated so they have to work within the frame of law and should have a lawful purpose.
