New York man accused of spying on Chinese dissidents, DOJ says

An American flag waves outside the U.S. Department of Justice Building in Washington, U.S., December 15, 2020. /Al Drago/File Photo

WASHINGTON - A New York man was charged on Wednesday with operating as an illegal agent of the Chinese government in the United States, accusing him of spying on Chinese pro-Democracy activists and dissidents, the Department of Justice said.

The DOJ alleges that Yuanjun Tang, 67, acted as a Chinese agent between 2018 and 2023 at the direction of China's Ministry of State Security (MSS), its principal intelligence agency.

Tang gave to MSS intelligence officers information about individuals and groups viewed by China "as potentially adverse" to its interests, including prominent U.S.-based Chinese dissidents, the DOJ said.

He helped MSS infiltrate a group chat on an encrypted messaging application used by numerous Chinese dissidents, the DOJ said.

Tang is also accused of making false statements to the FBI when he claimed he was no longer able to access an email account used to communicate with his MSS handler, the department said.

Tang is a former Chinese citizen who was imprisoned for his activities as a dissident, according to the department. He was granted political asylum in the U.S. and later became a citizen.

A spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy to the United States said he was unaware of the details of the case and that China requires its citizens abroad to comply with the laws and regulations of the host country.

China firmly opposed "groundlessly slandering and smearing" that targeted the country, the spokesperson said.

Reuters was unable to contact Tang.