In recent times, many overseas Chinese have provided feedback that their participation in protests or democracy movements has not only led to harassment and threats by the Chinese Communist authorities against their families back home, but they themselves have also faced intimidation and attacks from overseas Chinese Communist forces. Former Beijing lawyer and International Law Master from China University of Political Science and Law, Lai Jianping, pointed out that the actions of the CCP violate the law, and Chinese people should not be afraid or carry burdens when facing such situations, otherwise they can easily be manipulated by the CCP.
Some activists in Los Angeles have reported that their families in China have been repeatedly visited by the police or harassed and threatened by the CCP recently. After the report by The Epoch Times last month, more Chinese individuals have come forward to disclose similar experiences to the newspaper.
One young man named Zhang Yingwei from Shangqiu, Henan, was detained for 10 days by the Shenzhen police in 2017 for forwarding messages and videos related to the Hong Kong protests. After arriving in Los Angeles in August 2022, he was finally able to participate freely in anti-CCP activities. However, recently when contacting his friends and family in China, he was informed that the local police station often harasses them.
Zhang Yingwei’s parents have both passed away, and his closest sister has been threatened with the confiscation of land and property; one aunt’s phone was confiscated by the police; two uncles and two aunts were visited by the police for questioning.
“Why did they confiscate my aunt’s phone?” Zhang Yingwei said, “We don’t communicate much normally, we have different thoughts, they are just ordinary farmers without democratic freedom.” The police demanded through relatives that he shouldn’t speak out in public, shouldn’t contact Jieli Jian (Vice Chairman and CEO of the China Democratic Party Headquarters), and supporting “anti-China forces” would not end well.
“Why threaten them when you can just talk to me if there’s an issue?” Zhang Yingwei said.
Living in Los Angeles, Lei Jing’s father in Wuhan was warned by the police the same evening after Lei Jing participated in a lawsuit against Jieli Jian by donating money in mid-May. The police demanded the elderly man to tell Lei Jing, “Jieli Jian is involved in anti-party and anti-state activities, should immediately stop supporting Jieli Jian.” During the APEC summit in mid-November last year, Lei Jing went to San Francisco to protest, and his family was also warned by the police.
Yuan Zhe, a democracy activist living in New York, received a phone call from the Chinese Consulate in New York during his protest in San Francisco last year. A man with a southern accent threatened him, warning him not to donate to Jieli Jian or support Niutengyu, “Associating with Jieli Jian, a wanted criminal in China, is very dangerous!”
Recently, a friend informed Yuan Zhe that a pro-CCP hometown association in New York was targeting Jieli Jian, saying, “You will have big trouble if you continue to contact him.” The friend also revealed that the hometown association attempted to have the US deport Jieli Jian back to China, and more.
During the APEC summit, Jieli Jian led members of the Los Angeles China Democratic Party and righteous Chinese people to San Francisco to peacefully protest against the visiting CCP leaders. During the protest, he and several protesters were attacked by pro-CCP individuals, leading to some legal disputes. While raising funds for legal fees, he faced interference from the CCP – many of the democracy activists who donated to him had their relatives warned and threatened by the authorities; an attempt was made to pressure him politically, leaving him unable to pay his lawyer. Consequently, Jieli Jian has reported this to the FBI.
He is also compiling more information about victims of transnational repression by the CCP, preparing to contact the US Congress to convene a hearing on human rights, and publicly reveal evidence of the CCP’s use of the national machinery to persecute overseas democratic activists and their families.
Due to Jieli Jian’s long-term active engagement in organizing peaceful protests to expose the poor human rights situation in China, he has had a significant impact in the community, becoming a thorn in the authorities’ side. He has been repeatedly threatened, harassed, even attacked to death by pro-CCP individuals and CCP overseas thugs.
Regarding the harassment and threats by the police against Chinese relatives, former Beijing lawyer Lai Jianping said that this phenomenon is quite common, sometimes appearing more mild, by not directly sentencing the relatives but using various methods of pressure, such as preventing the family members from getting jobs, education, engaging in work, or even deducting their pension.
“This is actually a form of ‘collective punishment,'” Lai Jianping said, stating that the actions of the CCP are illegal and morally evil because even the CCP itself does not have regulations specifying that a family member should suffer for someone’s alleged wrongdoing or improper political behavior.
Lai Jianping believes that the CCP employs such insidious methods both domestically and internationally to some extent, effectively suppressing some people from continuing to resist; however, in facing evil, “the more you fear it, the tighter it grips you, and you can’t do anything; the less you fear it, the less you care about it, the less power it has.”
“If you set limits for yourself, impose too many restrictions, you will easily fall into their trap,” Lai Jianping said. He believes that overseas individuals should unite and not care about the CCP, and over time, the CCP will have no choice.
Regarding the police threats made against the families of Chinese activists, several individuals felt both anger and amusement.
Zhang Yingwei stated that he will continue to resist the CCP until the end, “I won’t be afraid of them.”
Lei Jing believes that the economy in China is collapsing rapidly, indicating that the CCP regime is on the verge of collapse, so they are escalating threats against ordinary people, “but threatening my father won’t work.” He estimates that the police officers who visited were just “going through the motions,” simply following orders from higher authorities.
“Threats from them (the CCP police) to us won’t work, it will only make various sectors in the US, including the public, members of Congress, and the government, pay more attention to the CCP’s threats,” he said.
Regarding the CCP’s influence overseas, the US Department of Justice has filed many lawsuits in recent years against Chinese nationals residing in the US who are involved in serving as proxies for the CCP’s transnational repression. However, evidently, there are still gaps where individuals continue to act as agents for the CCP.
Yuan Zhe mentioned that the CCP’s infiltration poses a long-term threat to the stability and security of the US, urging the US government to intensify investigations and crack down on CCP spies. ◇