In 2024, a series of political storms hit the New York political scene one after another, shaking the entire city. From the arrest of former chief of staff Sun Wen to the resignation of former Asian Affairs Director Zheng Qirong and the corruption charges against Mayor Adams, the political turmoil in New York sent shockwaves throughout the city. In the same year, the Benson Huahua Society’s opposition to the homeless shelter action demonstrated community power, ultimately helping a Republican candidate defeat the incumbent Democratic council member and leading to a rightward shift in the Brooklyn Chinese community.
On September 3, Sun Wen, former deputy chief of staff to Governor Huochu, and her husband Hu Xiao were arrested. Sun Wen was charged with acting as a secret agent of the Chinese Communist government, while Hu Xiao was charged with money laundering conspiracy.
Sun Wen immigrated to the US at a young age with her family and is fluent in both Chinese and English. Her public service career spanned 14 years, rising from chief of staff to a New York State Assembly member to deputy chief of staff for the governor and deputy commissioner of the Department of Labor. However, in March 2023, she was dismissed by Governor Huochu for “misconduct.”
The prosecution accused Sun Wen of using her position to provide critical assistance to the Chinese Communist government, including blocking Taiwan government representatives from dialogues with New York officials, providing unauthorized invitations to Chinese officials to visit the US, unilaterally modifying state government documents to align with Beijing’s interests such as deleting mention of the Uighurs in Xinjiang, and even covertly assisting Chinese consulate officials to participate in non-public phone meetings of the New York state government during the pandemic.
In return, Sun Wen and her husband received substantial financial and other benefits. The indictment stated that the couple engaged in massive money laundering, purchasing high-end properties and luxury cars in Hawaii and New York, while Sun Wen’s parents enjoyed Nanjing’s salted duck specially delivered by the Chinese consulate general’s private chef. The Sun couple pleaded not guilty, with Sun arguing that she was only performing her public duties, claiming that the prosecution’s criminalization of “unwelcome policies” violated state sovereignty, while the prosecution emphasized that the FARA charges targeted actions of concealing foreign agents and did not restrict state political matters.
Similar cases include the absence of Mayor Adams at a banquet hosted by President Tsai Ing-wen during her visit to the US in 2023. According to emails obtained through the Freedom of Information Act by National Review, during Tsai Ing-wen’s visit to New York, the New York Chinese consulate repeatedly pressured Mayor Adams to avoid contact with Taiwanese officials, with the mayor’s Asian Affairs Director, Zheng Qirong, acting as a key liaison assisting in conveying related requests from the Chinese side.
Zheng Qirong is a significant fundraiser for Adams, having cooperated with him for over a decade. She accompanied Adams on multiple visits to China and was the lead person receiving a pailou from Beijing authorities on Brooklyn’s Eighth Avenue, but faced scrutiny for alleged complex ties with Chinese officials and abuse of power. In February 2024, the FBI raided her residence and office, and although she has not been charged, she resigned amidst controversy in early October.
These cases not only reveal how the Chinese Communist government is infiltrating local American politics, attempting to achieve its objectives through local officials but also underscore the importance of the Foreign Agents Registration Act in regulating foreign influences.
The “The Epoch -2024 December 31st news” presented a series of events happening in New York of 2024. More stories are included in the full article.