In the news reported by The Epoch Times on August 13, 2024, it was announced that all four charges against Wang Shujun, the Secretary-General of the “Commemoration of Hu Yaobang and Zhao Ziyang Foundation,” for illegally acting as an agent of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and making false statements to law enforcement agencies have been upheld, sparking significant reactions in the democracy movement circle.
On August 11, in front of the weekly exhibition of “Exhibition of Hundred Years of Evil of the CCP – Anti-CCP Infiltration Pictures” in Flushing, the photos of Wang Shujun when he was prosecuted were prominently displayed, attracting a steady stream of passersby to stop and observe. Some democracy activists also expressed their opinions on the Wang Shujun case in front of the photo exhibition.
Gary, a volunteer at the photo exhibition and an engineer at a major international company, stated that Wang Shujun secretly collaborated with the CCP’s national security department, providing information on overseas democracy activists and organizations to the Chinese government, making it more convenient, effective, and targeted for the CCP to exert long-arm control and repression in the United States. The CCP’s suppression and crackdown methods are diverse, exerting pressure on overseas democracy activists’ families in China. Many democracy and anti-CCP activists’ families in China have been warned and threatened, leading to fear and resentment towards the activists and urging them to give up their causes. This situation creates psychological pressure on democracy activists, fearing repercussions on their families. The information provided by Wang Shujun and others serves as a targeted basis for CCP government actions and measures.
On August 6, the jury at the Federal Eastern District Court in New York ruled that Wang Shujun is guilty of all four charges, including concealing his role as a foreign agent from the U.S. government, conspiring to act as a foreign agent, possessing false identification, and making false statements to law enforcement agencies. He is set to be sentenced on January 9 next year, facing a maximum of 25 years in prison.
Regarding Wang Shujun’s claim that providing intelligence was intended to “influence, transform, and infiltrate” China’s national security or “promote China’s democratic transition and peaceful evolution,” Gary remarked, “This is sophistry. The information provided did not alleviate the CCP government’s repression of these (democracy) activists but rather intensified it, making it more targeted and effective.”
Gary pointed out, “Through Wang Shujun and others, the CCP’s national security not only knows about surface-level democracy activities but also gains insight into the personality traits, daily habits, family members, and social background of each democracy activist, effectively enabling real-time monitoring for precision strikes.”
Some individuals argue that the information Wang Shujun provided to the CCP is publicly available and of no significant value, intending to influence the CCP’s internal system. Cai Guihua, a volunteer at the photo exhibition and democracy activist, countered, “Such claims are aimed at maintaining stability.”
Cai Guihua shared his experience during the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests in Shanghai when he sympathized with students, participated in marches and sit-ins, and read declarations in People’s Square, leading to one and a half years of labor re-education. In 1998, he helped establish the Shanghai branch of the Chinese Democracy Party. He moved to the United States in 2000.
Cai Guihua recalled a time when he applied for a visa to return to China at the Chinese consulate, but they rejected it. Upon inquiring about the reasons for the refusal, he was told to consult with local national security officials. The national security personnel then warned his family, saying, “Cai Guihua is not prohibited from returning to China, but he should refrain from meddling in external affairs. He should not think we are unaware of his actions, as we are fully aware of all his actions abroad!”
Cai Guihua highlighted that their actions are closely monitored by the CCP’s national security through reports, turning individuals into informants and leveraging threats against their families to control their actions. This situation demonstrates why pro-CCP individuals act boldly, with CCP operatives suppressing democracy movements, both overtly and covertly. This scenario has become normalized and poses greater threats with the principles of the “Wang Shujun normalization” – easy to dodge overt confrontations but difficult to prevent covert attacks.
Cai Guihua expressed his initial trust in Wang Shujun and how Wang’s invitations to dinners were effective tactics among the Chinese. However, Cai Guihua began to question the source of the funds for these elaborate dinners involving large groups, leading to suspicions.
Bai Jiemin, the Chairman of the China Democracy and Human Rights Alliance in the East Coast of the United States, visited the photo exhibition on August 11. He recalled an incident in 2017 when he was invited by Wang Shujun to participate in an event hosted by the Hu Yaobang and Zhao Ziyang Foundation – the “Chinese Communist Party’s 19th National Congress and Mainland Political Situation – Hu Xingdou New York Expert Symposium.” During the event, Bai Jiemin, Wang Shujun, and the visiting CCP scholar, Hu Xingdou, even took a photo together.
Bai Jiemin reflected, “Looking back now, it is highly likely that the event hosted by Wang Shujun about the Chinese Communist Party’s 19th National Congress was a means to gauge the overseas democracy circle, understanding their thoughts, strategies, plans, and actions, and then reporting back to mainland national security.”
He believed that although he was just an ordinary citizen at the time, his opposition to the CCP’s actions, such as intercepting Premier Li Keqiang’s vehicle and protesting against CCP persecution at the United Nations, might have drawn the attention of the CCP, leading to surveillance and scrutiny.
Bai Jiemin emphasized that Wang Shujun’s case underscores the increased attention and awareness in the United States towards CCP agents and their harmful impacts. These agents not only pose threats to Chinese nationals and dissidents in the US but ultimately aim to undermine US national security, assisting the CCP in its anti-US activities. He hopes that the US authorities will recognize and address these threats.
Another dissident, who recently arrived in the US and participated in activities of the Chinese Democratic Party, shared that following his public engagements, his family in mainland China faced harassment. Recently, the CCP’s national security even approached him, attempting to turn him into an informant and work for national security. Through these experiences, he became acutely aware of the far-reaching influence and despicable tactics of the CCP’s national security apparatus.