Chinese Academic Convicted of Acting as Foreign Agent in the U.S.

A Chinese academic was convicted on Tuesday of illegally acting as a foreign agent in the United States by collecting information on New York-based activists supporting democracy in China and sharing his findings with Beijing.

Wang Shujun was found guilty on four counts, including acting as a foreign agent without notifying the U.S. attorney general and lying to U.S. authorities. The verdict was delivered after a weeklong trial in Brooklyn federal court. Wang faces up to 25 years in prison when sentenced on January 9, 2025.

Federal prosecutors revealed that Wang, a naturalized U.S. citizen, presented himself as a staunch opponent of the ruling Chinese Communist Party to gain the trust of Hong Kong pro-democracy activists, advocates for Taiwanese independence, and campaigners for Uyghur and Tibetan rights. However, he was actually spying on these activists and sharing his findings with four officials in China’s Ministry of State Security (MSS), an intelligence service.

“The indictment could have been the plot of a spy novel, but the evidence is shockingly real,” said Breon Peace, the top federal prosecutor in Brooklyn. “Wang was willing to betray those who respected and trusted him.”

Wang, who emigrated to the United States in 1994, was arrested in March 2022. His defense lawyer, Zachary Margulis-Ohnuma, argued that Wang spoke to the intelligence officials to win their support and promote social change, not to act as their agent. Margulis-Ohnuma expressed respect for the jury’s verdict and stated he would request a sentence that spares Wang the “agony” of prison.

“We look forward to sentencing,” Margulis-Ohnuma told reporters after the verdict. “He’s a 76-year-old man. He certainly didn’t mean to hurt anyone. He’s spent his life fighting the communist regime.”

The U.S. Department of Justice has intensified its efforts against “transnational repression” by adversaries such as China and Iran. This term refers to the surveillance, intimidation, and in some cases, the attempted repatriation or murder of activists against those governments.

Last year, a former New York City police sergeant was convicted of acting as a Chinese agent by intimidating a U.S.-based fugitive to return to China and face charges. U.S. prosecutors have also charged four Chinese intelligence officers who allegedly acted as Wang’s handlers. These officers are believed to be at large in China.