Chinese-American academic Wang Shujun, 76, was convicted in the US for illegally collecting information for Beijing. Found guilty on four counts, including acting as a foreign agent without notifying the US attorney general, Wang faces up to 25 years in prison when sentenced in January.
What we know about the case
Wang posed as a proponent of democracy in China to gain the trust of dissidents, corresponding with Hong Kong activists, Taiwan supporters, and Uyghur and Tibetan campaigners. Prosecutors accused him of spying on the activists and sharing information with Beijing’s Ministry of State Security (MSS).
The indictment revealed Wang saved email drafts containing critics’ information, risking exposure to Chinese intelligence. Despite denying contacts with the MSS initially, Wang later admitted to providing information he deemed public. His defense argued he sought social change, not acting as a foreign agent.
Arrested in March 2022, Wang became a naturalized US citizen in 1994. Charged officials connected to Wang remain at large in China, reflecting US actions against Chinese “transnational repression.”
US efforts against international interference
The US Department of Justice’s crackdown on Beijing’s overseas surveillance and intimidation, exemplified by Wang’s case, evinces its commitment to safeguarding national security.