"U.S. prosecutors say it was a secret Chinese spy outpost, with orders from Beijing to silence, harass and intimidate pro-democracy dissidents in the U.S., and a banner inside that said: "Fuzhou Police Overseas Service Station, New York USA.""
"Lu and a co-defendant who has pleaded guilty, Chen Jinping, established the Chinatown outpost in 2022 after Lu attended a ceremony in his native Fujian province where China's Ministry of Public Security announced it was opening 30 such secret police stations around the world."
"China's communist government uses the outposts to monitor people it "views as enemies of its interests," Oken told jurors. Among the witnesses set to testify against Lu, she said, is a dissident who was targeted by his outpost."
U.S. prosecutors allege that a six-story glass building in Manhattan's Chinatown functioned as a covert Chinese spy outpost tasked with silencing and harassing pro-democracy dissidents in the United States. The facility, bearing a banner identifying it as a "Fuzhou Police Overseas Service Station," was allegedly established in 2022 following China's announcement of 30 such secret police stations worldwide. Lu Jianwang, a U.S. citizen for decades, faces charges of conspiring to act as a foreign agent and destroying evidence including WeChat communications with his Chinese government handler. The defense argues the location was merely a community center where Chinese diaspora members could renew driver's licenses and socialize. The outpost shared offices with the America ChangLe Association, a community organization described as a social gathering place for Fujianese people.
#chinese-espionage #secret-police-stations #pro-democracy-dissidents #foreign-agent-charges #manhattan-chinatown
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