A mayor in California could face up to 10 years in prison for collaborating with China

As noted, the city of Arcadia is located approximately 21 km from Los Angeles. Its population is about 53,000 people—predominantly Asian, with a significant proportion of Chinese residents.

In November 2022, 58-year-old Wang was elected as one of five members of the Arcadia City Council, from which the mayor is selected on a rotating basis, and was serving as acting mayor at the time of the allegations.

However, the charges against her relate to an earlier period of her life—from late 2020 to 2022—when she was one of the leaders of the local news site U.S. News Center, which targeted the Chinese-American community.

As the investigation established, Wang and her colleague Sun Yaoning, who is already serving a four-year sentence on the same charges, worked on behalf of the Chinese government and promoted its interests by spreading pro-China propaganda in the U.S. In other words, they acted as unregistered agents (lobbyists) of a foreign government without notifying U.S. authorities, as required by U.S. law.

In particular, their website published materials prepared by Chinese officials denying the genocide, the use of forced labor, and the mistreatment of Uyghurs in China’s Xinjiang province. At the same time, the U.S. and some other countries have accused Beijing of brutal policies toward the Uyghurs, amounting to genocide, and crimes against humanity.

The Arcadia City Council emphasized that after being elected to the city council in 2022, Wang ceased her illegal activities.

On Monday, May 11, Wang resigned from her post. Federal officials stated that she agreed to plead guilty to a serious crime carrying a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.

As a reminder, China is preparing for a protracted economic war in response to U.S. sanctions.

It is also known that the U.S. has filed a lawsuit against the University of California, Los Angeles, over anti-Semitism.