The Biden State Department appears to be ignoring mounting evidence that China is conducting influence and intelligence activities from its diplomatic bases, and national security experts and China hawks say Americans shouldn't expect the administration to take action anytime soon.
Linda Sun, a former senior official under Gov. Kathy Hockle, was arrested on September 3 for allegedly acting on behalf of the Chinese government at the direction of the Chinese consulate in New York, adding another charge to a growing list of alleged Chinese influence operations. Experts told the Daily Caller News Foundation that the State Department has some tools to thwart such activities by Beijing and the Chinese consulate, but has not taken any visible steps. (Related article: “You'll never see him again”: Fate of mysteriously missing Chinese official revealed)
“There is a lot the State Department can do … at the very least, they could repeat their previous warning. [Trump administration]”And they should improve on the previous administration's warnings where they deem necessary,” Steve Yates, a senior fellow at the America First Institute and a former national security official, told DCNF. “That hasn't happened, and I don't think it will happen now.”
Yates said: example The Trump administration closed the Chinese consulate in Texas in 2020 over concerns it was a base for espionage and influence operations. The Biden administration has 4 The remaining Chinese consulates across the United States
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Sun is accused of altering public statements to favor Beijing, blocking meetings between Taiwanese authorities and New York authorities, and helping smuggle foreigners into the U.S. with false immigration documents — all in exchange for bribes and gifts from the Chinese consulate, which coordinated with her and gave her guidance in committing her alleged crimes, according to Sun's charging documents. Indictment.
Sun is not the only alleged Chinese operative to be arrested in New York politics on suspicion of espionage or influence activities. The DCNF previously found that Lu Jianwang, an alleged Chinese spy arrested in 2023, had a long-standing relationship with New York Democratic Congresswoman Grace Meng. Meng herself has previously praised the Chinese Communist Party's “leadership.”
Lu allegedly helped run an illegal Chinese police station in New York City that had ties to a China-based law enforcement agency that specialized in spying and informing on critics of the Chinese government and extradite Chinese citizens. Chinese operative Chen Jinping was arrested alongside Lu in 2023 for their alleged involvement with the police station, which was investigated by the FBI in 2023 and ultimately shut down.
In 2015, Lu received an indirect request from the Chinese Consulate in New York to help counter protests against the Chinese government. According to He was charged in a federal indictment with also taking part in the 2023 anti-Taiwan protests that were partly orchestrated by the consulate. According to To National Review.
“China has an extensive spy and infiltration network within the United States,” John Lee, a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute and former national security adviser to the Australian government, told DCNF, noting that New York politicians who may have had malicious contact with Chinese operatives should be held legally accountable. “We want the federal government to publicize these infiltrations and condemn them publicly and frequently to alert all levels of government that this is happening.” (Related: US and UK intelligence chiefs hold unprecedented joint public meeting on global challenges)
The State Department, which is tasked with overseeing US relations with other countries, could take a range of steps to deter Beijing, including confronting US consulates in China to issue warnings or publicly denounce them, experts told DCNF.
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In some cases, the State Department may expel diplomats from the U.S., a significant step that would likely elicit a similar response from Beijing. But experts told DCNF they feel the State Department's response to the issue has been shockingly inadequate, despite the department's annual budget of more than $8 billion. BillionApproximately 70,000 employee At home and abroad.
“The State Department appears to be doing everything in its power to downplay the situation and avoid retaliation from Beijing,” Michael Sobolik, a senior fellow at the American Foreign Policy Council, told DCNF. “Deterrence is as important in diplomacy as it is in the military sphere. The State Department is signaling that it doesn't want to make it difficult for Beijing to influence U.S. politics for its own gain. This is a mistake and will leave us vulnerable to future predations by the Chinese Communist Party.”
According to Politico, Hawkle said last Wednesday that he had asked the State Department to expel Huang Ping, the top diplomat at the Chinese consulate in New York, because he frequently worked with Sun. But State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said: said Later that day, reporters said there was no need to expel Huang because he had already left the US at the end of August after completing his term. (Related: “This is a worrying situation”: U.S.-funded research leads to over 1,000 patents for China-based company)
However, Huang was seen in New York on duty as of last Thursday. According to The Chinese Embassy in the United States confirmed in a statement to the DCNF this week that Huang was “performing his duties normally,” according to public records.
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The State Department told the DCNF that diplomats typically have 30 days after the end of their term to leave the US or apply for a change of diplomatic status.
“They may not have really looked into what was going on. They took talking points that weren't fact-checked and put them out there. This is misconduct on their part, but we have to judge whether it's major misconduct or minor missteps,” Yates told DCNF. “I think there's some negligence on the part of the State Department. I also think there's some defensiveness on the part of the administration, not wanting to escalate the situation because it would be embarrassing for them and for the New York state government.”
Overall, the Biden administration has faced questions about its handling of U.S.-China relations in recent years, with some critics arguing that Beijing has not responded to diplomatic pressure and continues to try to undermine the United States in a variety of ways, including cyberwarfare, election interference, domestic espionage and drug trafficking.
New York has become a hub for Chinese influence operations, but its malign influence reaches far beyond the state to other parts of the country, Adam Savitt, director of AFPI's China Policy Initiative, told DCNF.
“Unfortunately, New York is just one of many hotspots for Chinese Communist Party espionage in the United States,” Savitt said. “In many cases, the federal government has responded too late or not at all.”
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