Recently, pro-democracy activist Tang Yuanjun published an open letter, acknowledging that his parents were bedridden, and with no hope of returning home to visit them, he contacted the Chinese Communist Party’s state security department to collect information as instructed. In the conclusion of the letter, he apologized to those “fellow activists who consider themselves harmed by me.” Last month, 67-year-old Tang Yuanjun was criminally charged with allegedly concealing his role as an agent of the Chinese Communist Party and making significant false statements to the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
On September 10, Wu Renhua, a participant in the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests and a scholar, posted Tang Yuanjun’s open letter titled “To Fellow Activists” on the social media platform X, dated September 9. Tang Yuanjun emphasized in the letter that he is an “exiled Chinese democracy activist in New York for many years.”
In the letter, he mentioned that in February 2018, his parents in China both fell and became immobile, leaving his paralyzed younger brother to care for them. Feeling anxious, he began searching for a way to return to China. However, based on his situation, people like him are generally not allowed to return to China, and even when he applied for a Chinese passport at the Chinese Consulate General in New York before holding a U.S. passport, he was rejected.
After conducting some inquiries, he learned that the only way to return to China quickly was to contact the Chinese state security department and negotiate terms for his return.
After being connected through a friend with a member of the Chinese state security department, he communicated with them via email and demonstrated a “desperate to meet” attitude. In early 2019, they agreed to meet in person. Thus, he hurried to Macau to meet with the Chinese state security department.
After the initial meeting in Macau, he had to undergo a period of observation to gain the trust of the Chinese state security department.
Tang Yuanjun stated that as the head of a pro-democracy group, some suggested he should withdraw from activism before considering returning to China. “I also considered this. But the process was too long, and I couldn’t wait. Other methods, such as ensuring secrecy, were even more difficult to succeed. In order to see my parents as soon as possible, I decided to sacrifice my dignity to return home.”
Tang Yuanjun admitted to doing things at the request of the Chinese police, such as collecting and relaying information about public commemoration events, protests, etc., that he was aware of, while trying to avoid harming others when passing on the information. He explained that he generally kept a distance from his fellow activists, had rare interactions, and never deliberately collected materials from others.
In late 2021, the Chinese authorities allowed Tang Yuanjun to return to China. In early 2022, he received a short-term visa to visit China sent by the New York Consulate General when his mother was critically ill. Due to the severe pandemic situation, there were hardly any flights to China, which made him anxiously wait. During this time, his mother passed away, causing him immense grief. Despite his efforts, he missed the chance to see her.
Finally, Tang Yuanjun managed to purchase a ticket to China in April, and after quarantining for over a month upon arrival, he reunited with his father and disabled brother in Changchun after 20 years of separation. This reunion was unforgettable for him. However, due to the loss of their mother, his brother became overwhelmed with grief and suffered a sudden stroke on November 19 and passed away.
In 2023, Tang Yuanjun returned to Macau once again to discuss his return to China to visit his father and “accept some requests they had raised.” He had planned to surrender to the U.S. government after his father’s passing, but time was not on his side.
In the final section of the open letter, Tang Yuanjun stated, “I have violated U.S. law!” He expressed his gratitude to the United States for hosting him for over twenty years as an exile. However, now that he has broken the law, he is prepared to face the consequences. He expressed regret that due to his legal battles, he may never see his 94-year-old father again. He also apologized to his fellow activists who considered themselves harmed by him.
On August 21, Tang Yuanjun was arrested in Flushing, Queens, New York and appeared in the Southern District Federal Court that same afternoon. He faces three charges: conspiring to act as an agent for the Chinese Communist Party without registering with the Department of Justice, which carries a maximum sentence of 5 years in prison; concealing his role as an agent of a foreign government from the U.S. government, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison; lastly, making false statements to investigators, which carries a maximum sentence of 5 years in prison.
Tang Yuanjun was imprisoned in China for opposing the one-party rule of the Chinese Communist Party during the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests. On October 14, 2002, he fled to Taiwan on a fishing trawler and applied for political asylum, later obtaining asylum in the United States and naturalizing as a U.S. citizen, settling in New York City. He actively participated in activities with Chinese dissidents in New York and led the non-profit organization “Democratic China Front” to promote democracy in China.