Washington DC [US], November 26 : A former US telecom employee who provided information about Chinese dissidents and members of the Falun Gong religious movement to Beijing was sentenced to four years in prison on Monday.
Ping Li, 59, from Florida, admitted to acting as an unregistered agent of the Chinese government under a plea agreement. Ping provided sensitive corporate information to China's Ministry of State Security (MSS) and disclosed personal details of a Falun Gong member living in Florida, as reported by Voice of America.
The Falun Gong movement, a spiritual group, is banned in China, where it has been labeled an "evil cult" since 1999 after a peaceful demonstration by 10,000 members outside a government building in Beijing.
According to reports, Li, who immigrated to the US from China, worked for major US telecom and information technology companies. According to the Justice Department, Li acted at the direction of MSS officers, providing information from as early as 2012. The data he gathered included details about Chinese dissidents, pro-democracy advocates, Falun Gong members, and US-based non-governmental organizations. Li's actions highlight a broader effort by China to target dissidents, particularly Falun Gong practitioners, who are subject to harsh persecution.
In a separate case, a 71-year-old Chinese man named John Chen from Los Angeles was sentenced to 20 months in prison the previous week for alleged his role in a plot targeting Falun Gong members in the US. Chen was also convicted of acting as an unregistered agent of the Chinese government.
Cases like Ping Li's and the conviction of John Chen highlight China's increasing reliance on human intelligence agents and covert operations to suppress critics abroad.
Both Li and Chen were convicted of acting as unregistered agents of the Chinese government, reflecting a growing trend of Chinese nationals and immigrants being used as intermediaries in espionage campaigns targeting foreign countries.
These cases underscore persistent concerns over Chinese espionage activities in the US, particularly against groups like Falun Gong, which the Chinese government views as a threat to its control. Such efforts are part of China's broader strategy to extend its influence and suppress political opposition worldwide, a campaign that has become more sophisticated and far-reaching in recent years.