California Ex-Mayor Admits Acting As China Agent
Former Arcadia mayor Eileen Wang has agreed to plead guilty in the United States to acting as an illegal agent of China, according to American authorities.
Former Arcadia Mayor China Agent Case
US authorities said Wang acted as an agent of a foreign government from late 2020 to 2022 without informing the federal government. She has agreed to plead guilty to one count of acting as an illegal agent of China.
Wang, 58, was the former mayor of Arcadia, a wealthy Los Angeles suburb. She resigned from the mayor’s post after the case became public.
US News Center And Pro-China Content
According to prosecutors, Wang operated a website called US News Center, which published content supportive of the People’s Republic of China while presenting itself as a news platform for Chinese Americans.
Authorities said she ran the website with Yaoning Sun, a California man who was earlier sentenced to four years in prison after pleading guilty to acting as an illegal agent of a foreign government.
Justice Department Raises Foreign Influence Concern
Prosecutors said Wang’s activities included republishing an official Chinese government-written essay rejecting allegations of genocide against Uyghurs in Xinjiang.
Wang faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison. Her lawyers said the case related to her personal conduct involving a media platform and not to her work as an elected official.
The case comes amid continued US scrutiny of foreign influence operations and China-linked political activity in American institutions.
