FAPA Strongly Condemns China’s Infiltration and Espionage in U.S. Government Institutions as Exposed by the Indictment of Linda Sun
The Formosan Association for Public Affairs (FAPA) strongly condemns the People’s Republic of China’s (PRC) ongoing political infiltration into and espionage efforts within the U.S. government institutions as exposed by the indictment of Linda Sun, a former aide to two New York governors who acted as an unregistered foreign agent for the PRC for more than a decade. Sun covertly advanced China’s interests and undermined U.S.-Taiwan relations. The federal indictment illustrates countless examples of Sun blocking engagement between New York State and Taiwan officials and Taiwanese Americans alike while manipulating government messaging to benefit the PRC and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) at the expense of U.S. national security.
FAPA calls on federal, state, and local governments across the country to investigate Chinese influence operations and take decisive actions to stop further infiltration by the PRC. The Linda Sun case exemplifies a broader, long-standing strategy by the CCP’s United Front Work Department (UFWD), which has been covertly targeting U.S. political systems to erode and oppose support for Taiwan.
The UFWD’s mission is to co-opt influential individuals and organizations in foreign countries including the U.S., to advance the CCP’s and the PRC’s interests. In Sun’s case, her activities directly blocked initiatives promoting U.S.-Taiwan relations, including FAPA’s longstanding efforts to secure proclamations for Taiwanese American Heritage Week (TAHW).
For over two decades, FAPA and its 44 chapters across the U.S. have sought these TAHW proclamations to honor the contributions that Taiwanese Americans have made to the diversity and prosperity of American society. Despite being a state with one of the largest populations of Taiwanese Americans and Taiwanese diaspora in the country, New York State has consistently rejected our requests. It has now become clear that Sun’s actions in her capacity as a PRC foreign agent directly undermined FAPA’s advocacy efforts and negatively impacted Taiwanese American representation in New York.
UFWD influence at the state level is particularly concerning for U.S. national security. Local governments often lack the resources to detect and counter sophisticated foreign influence operations. This leaves them vulnerable to CCP manipulation, potentially resulting in policies that undermine national unity and weaken U.S. positions on global geopolitical issues. Such infiltration allows the CCP to spread disinformation, manipulate public opinion, and suppress democratic values under the guise of cultural or diplomatic exchanges.
FAPA urges elected officials across the U.S. to condemn the CCP’s political infiltration attempts. Elected officials must not enable the CCP to coopt public discourse regarding prejudice against Asian Americans to further China’s political agenda. It is critical to differentiate between genuine national security threats posed by the CCP and anti-Asian hate. Allowing anti-Asian hate concerns to shield CCP activities from scrutiny is naïve and dangerous. U.S. leaders must stand firm against the CCP’s infiltration efforts, recognizing that safeguarding democratic values and national security must come first.
FAPA President Su-Mei Kao reacts: “The allegations against Linda Sun show that the Chinese government had been able to influence and manipulate the New York State government at the highest level for many years to illegally advance PRC and CCP interests and thwart U.S.-Taiwan relations. Sun’s over decade-long employment by the state government represents an alarming security failure, and it certainly was not just a single, isolated case. China has sent and recruited spies not just in New York or the U.S., but all around the world. We commend the court for taking the first steps in holding accountable those who seek to undermine our democratic values.”
Dr. Kao continues: “FAPA applauds the Congressional House Committee on Oversight and Accountability and its government-wide investigation into the CCP’s ongoing efforts to target, influence and infiltrate every sector and community in the United States. However, public officials at all levels, including state and local, must also take concrete actions to proactively investigate, prevent, and stop UFWD’s political infiltration activities and espionage efforts undertaken by Chinese foreign missions and agents.”
In November 2023, the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission released its annual report. Chapter 2, Section 2, China’s United Front and Propaganda Work provides an in-depth analysis of China’s global influence operations and the national security threats posted by these operations. Access the report HERE.
Reference:
[1] FAPA
Ex-NY Governor Aide Charged with Spying for China
On September 3, a former aide to two New York governors was charged with acting as an illegal agent of the Chinese government who used her state positions to advance Chinese interests and thwart U.S.-Taiwan relations, in exchange for financial benefits worth millions of dollars.
Linda Sun, who held numerous posts in the New York State government, including deputy chief of staff for Governor Kathy Hochul and deputy diversity officer for former Governor Andrew Cuomo, was arrested with her husband on September 3.
Sun, a naturalized U.S. citizen born in China, was alleged to have acted as an unregistered foreign agent for the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
Federal prosecutors said that Sun, at the request of Chinese officials, engaged in numerous political activities in the interests of the PRC and the CCP. In return, she and her husband, Christopher Hu, received millions of dollars in kickbacks from China for their personal gain, enabling them to buy a $4.05 million house in Manhasset, New York, a $2.1 million condo in Hawaii, and luxury cars, including a 2024 Ferrari.
The indictment against Sun lists occasions in which she blocked communication and meetings between Taiwanese officials and high-ranking New York State leaders, removed a reference to Taiwan as a “country” from a state press release, changed high-level New York State officers’ messaging regarding issues important to China, worked to stop the state government from acknowledging a donation of 200,000 masks from Taiwan, made sure to credit Chinese officials for a donation of 1,000 ventilators and other PPE, prevented the issue of a state proclamation celebrating “Taiwanese American Heritage Week,” among other things.
For example, in June 2016, after successfully diverting a top New York politician from an event hosted by Taiwan, Sun wrote to a PRC official: “It’s all been taken care of satisfactorily.”
In January 2019, Sun wrote to a PRC Consular official: “I very much value my relationship with the [PRC] consulate and have done many things to make the relationship between the state and the consulate flourish,” adding that “Certainly I have managed to stop all relationships between the TECO [Taipei Economic and Cultural Office] and the state. I have denied all [r]equests from their office.”
In July 2019, a Taiwanese official emailed Sun, inviting her and then-Governor Andrew Cuomo to a banquet during then-Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen’s stopover in New York City. Cuomo never saw that invitation. “I already blocked it,” Sun told a PRC official instead. On the banquet day, Sun even joined local Chinese in a protest in Manhattan against the visiting Taiwanese president.
In October 2020, Sun wrote to a PRC official: “A few weeks [ago] when we released a press release for international travel—I almost had a heart attack when we referred to Taiwan as a country. Thankfully I had the press team correct it immediately.”
In April 2022, an employee in the governor’s office wrote Sun, indicating receipt of an invitation to recognize May 8 to 15 as “Taiwanese American Heritage Week.” After the employee asked how the governor’s office should respond, Sun wrote, “Please do not issue. Thank you.”
The allegations against Sun represent a brazen Chinese government’s infiltration into and manipulation of New York State government at the highest level for more than a decade to illegally advance PRC and CCP interests and undermine U.S.-Taiwan relations.
References:
[1] U.S. Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of New York
[2] Taipei Times
[3] Taiwan News
Taiwan to Explain UNGA Resolution 2758 to U.N. Member States
Taiwan will help the international community better understand the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) Resolution 2758 to counter China’s misuse of the resolution to exclude Taiwan from the U.N. system, Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said on September 3.
The ministry made the remarks at a news conference in Taipei announcing this year’s strategy to promote Taiwan’s inclusion in the world body when the U.N. General Assembly meets later this month.
The 79th U.N. General Assembly will open on September 10 next week at its headquarters in New York. From September 24 to 28, the assembly will hold its General Debate, focusing on the theme: “Leaving no one behind: Acting together for the advancement of peace, sustainable development and human dignity for present and future generations.”
Ironically, Taiwan’s 23.5 million people have continuously been left behind by the U.N., Taiwan’s Deputy Foreign Minister Tien Chung-kwang said.
The reason for this injustice is because China has maliciously twisted the content of UNGA Resolution 2758, intending to mislead the international community to equate the resolution with its so-called “One China principle,” he said.
“China falsely claims that Taiwan is part of the People’s Republic of China [PRC] and the PRC has been authorized to represent Taiwan,” he said, adding that such a claim negates the fact that Taiwan is a sovereign nation and has legitimate rights to be part of the U.N.
Taiwan will again invite diplomatic allies to speak up for Taiwan during the upcoming U.N. General Debate, as has been the country’s approach since 1993, Tien said.
Taiwan will also again ask diplomatic allies’ permanent representatives to the U.N. to send a joint letter to U.N. Secretary-General Antόnio Guterres, urging him to rectify the U.N.’s “erroneous interpretation of Resolution 2758.”
The ministry plans to highlight three points in its appeal to the United Nations.
First, the U.N. should address and take action against the distortion of UNGA Resolution 2758. The distortion threatens to change the “status quo” across the Taiwan Strait and disrupt peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region.
Second, Resolution 2758 does not deny Taiwan the right to participate in the U.N. system. The U.N. should find appropriate ways to allow Taiwan to participate in its meetings.
Third, the U.N. Secretariat should “uphold neutrality” and “stop misusing” Resolution 2758 as a pretense to prevent Taiwan passport holders from entering U.N. facilities.
Asked why Taiwan is focused on explaining Resolution 2758 this year, Tien said that Nauru cited the UNGA Resolution 2758 and the “One China principle” when it broke diplomatic ties with Taiwan earlier this year.
Tien said that if Taiwan does not help U.N. member states correctly understand Resolution 2758 soon, “the cross-strait ‘status quo’ that neither Taiwan nor the PRC is subordinate to the other would be overturned by the PRC.”
China will likely continue to distort the resolution before ultimately using it as a legal pretense to use force against Taiwan by labeling the cross-strait issue as a domestic dispute, he added.
