The Chinese agents accused of spying on expats in US

Experts say two espionage cases in the US highlight China's attempts to peddle influence globally over the past decade.

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In 2022, Lu Jianwang, the 64-year-old president of a Chinese community group, set up shop on one of the floors, creating a space where his attorneys said he planned to help expats renew their driver's licences and play ping pong on a table in a conference room.

But it was not long before the Federal Bureau of Investigation raided the space, and accused Lu of taking orders from the Chinese government to establish the first known overseas police station in the US.

This week, he was found guilty of acting as an unauthorised foreign agent for China, just days after a California politician pleaded guilty to similar offences.

Arcadia Mayor Eileen Wang admitted she posted propaganda on a website targeting the Chinese American community at the behest of the Chinese government.