By Okafor Joseph Afam
December 19, 2024

Chen Jinping, a 60-year-old Chinese national residing in the United States, has confessed to running a clandestine police station on behalf of the Chinese government in Manhattan, New York. The admission comes amid the U.S. Department of Justice’s broader campaign to counteract Beijing’s efforts to silence pro-democracy activists within the Chinese-American community.

On Wednesday, Chen pleaded guilty to conspiring to act as an agent for the People’s Republic of China (PRC). His illegal activities included the establishment and operation of an overseas police station under the PRC’s Ministry of Public Security (MPS). He faces up to five years in prison, with sentencing scheduled for 2025.

U.S. Attorney Breon Peace denounced Chen’s actions, describing them as part of a “transnational repression scheme” aimed at bolstering the Chinese government’s influence within the U.S. “This secret police station was set up in the heart of New York City, undermining our nation’s sovereignty and targeting diaspora communities,” Peace said.

FBI Assistant Director James Dennehy added that Chen’s operation was a blatant violation of American sovereignty. He emphasized that the station’s purpose extended beyond providing basic services, such as driver’s license renewals, to aiding in surveillance and harassment efforts on behalf of the PRC.

A Broader Pattern of Influence

Chen’s co-defendant, Lu Jianwang, 62, also a U.S. citizen, was arrested alongside him in April 2023. While Chen has pleaded guilty, Lu maintains his innocence and awaits trial.

According to federal authorities, the clandestine police station, located on a floor of an office building in Manhattan’s Chinatown, primarily aimed to suppress dissent among the Chinese-American community. The facility closed in late 2022 after an FBI raid revealed its deeper purpose: assisting the Chinese government in locating and intimidating a California-based pro-democracy activist of Chinese descent.

During the raid, FBI agents seized electronic devices, uncovering evidence of deleted communications between Chen, Lu, and an MPS official. These deletions were interpreted as an attempt to conceal the operation’s scope and intent.

Related Cases of Chinese Interference

The case reflects a pattern of foreign interference targeting Chinese-Americans. In 2020, the Justice Department charged multiple individuals for pressuring a New Jersey man to return to China at Beijing’s behest. More recently, in September 2023, Linda Sun, a former aide to New York Governor Kathy Hochul, was charged with secretly acting as an agent for the Chinese government.

Prosecutors assert that these efforts are part of a larger campaign to manipulate U.S. policies and suppress dissent among Chinese diaspora communities.

Defending Sovereignty

American authorities have vowed to combat foreign influence operations aggressively. “We are committed to protecting the rights of individuals in the U.S., particularly those targeted by foreign governments,” Peace reiterated.

The case serves as a stark reminder of the challenges posed by international interference in domestic affairs, particularly as U.S.-China relations remain strained.