In news dated August 23, 2024:
Renowned overseas activist Tang Yuanjun was arrested on August 21 on suspicion of conspiring to act as well as acting as an agent of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and making false statements to the FBI. Some friends in the activist community expressed regret and sadness at his alleged co-option by the CCP. They revealed that Tang’s younger brother had a disability, and after Tang left China, the responsibility of caring for his disabled brother fell on their parents. Tang’s brother and mother passed away in recent years, leaving his 90-year-old father alone. It is possible that Tang, feeling a longing for his family, wanted to return to China to reunite with his loved ones, and this vulnerability was exploited by the CCP through inducements and coercion.
Media figure Wu Jianmin, a democracy advocate persecuted for supporting the 1989 pro-democracy movement in Nanjing, stated on his program “Jianmin Discusses the Wall 2428” on August 22 that he got to know Tang through participating in events commemorating the Tiananmen Square Massacre. Wu described Tang as a highly influential figure in overseas activism who established the East Coast branch of the Chinese Democratic Party, participating in almost all activist events and assisting people in seeking political asylum. Wu noted that initially, Tang displayed a strong anti-Communist stance. However, in 2018, he began to be coerced by the CCP.
According to the charges brought by the U.S. Department of Justice, from at least 2018 to June 2023, Tang carried out tasks as directed by the CCP’s national security agency. Between 2019 and 2023, he held face-to-face meetings with CCP officials in China and Macau at least three times and received money transfers from the CCP’s national security agency. He assisted the CCP in infiltrating a group chat on an encrypted messaging app, provided information about immigration lawyers for individuals seeking political asylum, and recorded a Zoom forum commemorating the Tiananmen Square Massacre in 2020 at the direction of national security. Tang was also instructed by the CCP in 2022 to investigate a congressional candidate and report on their campaign finances and activities. While in China, surveillance devices were installed on his phone by the CCP, enabling them to intercept and collect his communications, including photos and videos of democratic activities, conversations among dissenters, the travel schedule of a congressional candidate, financial summaries, and lists of attendees at news conferences, as well as a Chinese copy of the FBI’s “Extraterritorial Repression and Threat Intimidation Guidelines.”
Tang Yuanjun, originally an assistant engineer at the First Automobile Manufacturing Plant’s body equipment factory in Changchun, Jilin, organized worker marches during the 1989 pro-democracy movement. He was sentenced to 20 years on charges of “counterrevolutionary group crimes and incitement of counterrevolutionary activities” but had his sentence reduced to 8 years in 1997 and was released the same year. After his release, he faced constant monitoring by the CCP’s national security apparatus while working various jobs. In 2002, during a period of bail, he chose to escape and clandestinely leave China. Crossing from Wuxi to Fujian, he paid 1000 yuan to be smuggled by fishermen to Kinmen County near Greater Kinmen Island, where he swam ashore and sought freedom. Despite lacking a refugee protection mechanism in Taiwan, international dissident efforts helped him relocate to the United States a month later. In the U.S., Tang remained active in the activist community, serving in leadership roles.
Wu Jianmin believed that the CCP enticed Tang for several reasons. Firstly, Tang may have lost hope in anti-Communist efforts and his ideals. Secondly, he felt a strong yearning for his homeland, especially after his parents aged and his family circumstances became more difficult. Thirdly, he may have succumbed to monetary temptations, as aiding in political asylum matters provided only enough to get by, with no additional funds to support his family.
Wu Jianmin stated that the national security agency exploited Tang’s vulnerabilities and resorted to coercion and inducement. They targeted his desire to return to China due to financial constraints and disillusionment with anti-Communist efforts. Through a continuous assessment of Tang’s mindset, the national security agency offered deals in exchange for cooperation, including promises of safety upon his return to China in return for collaboration and financial support. Often, money in the form of Chinese yuan was sent to his home by the national security agency.
White Jiemin, the Deputy Chairperson of the China Democratic Human Rights Alliance and President of the East Coast, expressed deep sorrow for Tang Yuanjun’s present circumstances, remarking that his journey from swimming to Taiwan at the risk of his life to being ensnared by the CCP was truly unfortunate. White noted that Tang’s desire to reunite with his family and the favors he sought from the CCP had led him down a troubling path. White revealed that Tang had once tried to apply for a visa to return to China through a middleman at the Chinese consulate, but his request was rejected. The CCP forced him to leave his homeland, causing a separation from his family, a tragic situation faced by many dissidents unable to return home due to persecution, despite their longing for their families. Even if Tang were to return to China, he would face potential arrest, disappearance, or even organ harvesting at the hands of the CCP.
White reflected on Tang’s past, suggesting that had he not fled China, he would have been subjected to continued persecution by the CCP, denied peace for himself and his family. Given the circumstances, in which Tang’s mother and brother passed away, and only his elderly father remained, he yearned to see his family but was held captive by the CCP’s demands for surrender and collaboration. The CCP behaved like kidnappers, seizing individuals and manipulating them into espionage roles, coercing them to comply with their demands to regain their long-withheld rights. The CCP’s actions were described as evil and despicable by White.
White shared his own experiences of persecution, mentioning a broken family and the inability to say a final goodbye to his deceased mother due to the CCP’s actions. He encouraged those still in cahoots with the CCP to reconsider their choices, emphasizing that the CCP, akin to a ruthless machine, discarded individuals like mere pawns once their purpose was served. He called upon Tang to reflect deeply on his actions, warning against harboring any illusions about the CCP, as history has shown how the CCP treated those who sacrificed themselves for its agenda. Finally, White urged individuals entangled with the CCP to disengage before it was too late.