On the day she was sworn in as mayor, Eileen Wang spoke in soaring terms about her journey from a \u201csmall mountain village\u201d in China to America, and specifically to Arcadia, a small city in Southern California.<\/p>\n
Then her speech took a sharp turn.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs Americans, and especially as elected officials, our loyalty must always be clear,\u201d she said, \u201cto this country, to our constitution, to our residents, and to no one else.\u201d<\/p>\n
Three months later, in May, federal prosecutors announced<\/a> that Ms. Wang, 56, had agreed to plead guilty to acting as an illegal foreign agent of the Chinese government. She resigned as mayor that day and faces up to 10 years in jail.<\/p>\n Ms. Wang\u2019s speech in February is just one of many plot points that have deepened the mystery around her true identity.<\/p>\n She jumped into city politics in her 50s, first as a Republican, then a Democrat. She had a fianc\u00e9 who was a foreign agent. Or maybe not.<\/p>\n Before winning election to the City Council in 2022, she had actively promoted ties between the United States and China and voiced support for one of Beijing\u2019s overarching goals, absorbing Taiwan. But some of her former colleagues said they could not recall any obvious examples of how she might have used public office to promote pro-Beijing views \u2014 or really any strong opinions at all.<\/p>\n \u201cShe just votes, and I don\u2019t even remember how she votes,\u201c said Sharon Kwan, an Arcadia councilwoman.<\/p>\n Federal prosecutors have painted<\/a> Ms. Wang, who pleaded guilty last month, as part of a concerted effort by Beijing to undermine American democracy. According to her plea agreement, Ms. Wang and Mike Sun operated a website, U.S. News Center, that circulated pro-Beijing propaganda at the direction of Chinese government officials from late 2020 through at least 2022. <\/p>\n Ms. Wang had variously described Mr. Sun as her boyfriend and fianc\u00e9. And Mr. Sun described Ms. Wang in a report for Chinese government officials as a \u201cnew political star\u201d who had connections to higher-level American politicians, court documents show.<\/p>\n Analysts of Chinese politics say Ms. Wang\u2019s case reflects Beijing\u2019s efforts<\/a> to influence both local American politics and the Chinese diaspora, as seen in recent cases in New York<\/a> and San Francisco<\/a>. China\u2019s goal, intelligence officials and prosecutors say, is part of a long game to cultivate ties with politicians who might someday promote Beijing\u2019s agenda on higher levels. It is also to keep tabs on the Chinese diaspora and silence dissidents.<\/p>\n But as Ms. Wang\u2019s case demonstrates, the nature and effectiveness of these efforts vary widely. What did the Chinese government see in a low-level politician? How much did Ms. Wang know about what was being relayed to Chinese officials? And was she really a rising \u201cpolitical star\u201d?<\/p>\n In Ms. Wang\u2019s telling, she fell in love with the wrong guy, making her more of a puppet than a mastermind.<\/p>\n Her lawyers, who declined requests for an interview with Ms. Wang, emphasized that her actions had mostly taken place before she was elected to the City Council and before she became mayor, a position council members hold on a rotating basis. And, they say, her actions were not an \u201cinherently nefarious act\u201d and not equivalent to spying.<\/p>\n China\u2019s influence play \u201cis not a well-oiled machine,\u201d said Audrye Wong, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute who studies the subject. \u201cIt relies on all these local actors that are hustling for their own personal interest.\u201d<\/p>\n The \u2018Chinese Beverly Hills\u2019<\/p>\n Ms. Wang was born in the southwestern Chinese city of Chengdu in 1969 to parents who were both doctors, according to court documents and Ms. Wang\u2019s public speeches.<\/p>\n She moved to the United States in 1995, and wrote on her campaign website<\/a> that she had studied business management at the University of Southern California. (The university said it could not confirm her attendance.) Around 2006, she moved to Arcadia, drawn by the acclaimed schools for her two young sons, she once told The Los Angeles Times<\/a>.<\/p>\n She was part of a wave of mainland Chinese immigrants that moved to the well-heeled suburb starting in the 2000s.<\/p>\n China\u2019s economic boom had created a class of overnight millionaires, many of whom looked to the San Gabriel Valley, which encompasses Arcadia, as a place to enroll their children in American schools and to safeguard their newfound wealth. These newcomers drove flashy cars and built McMansions<\/a> on lots where modest ranch homes once stood.<\/p>\n By 2020, the city was 65 percent Asian, up from 45 percent in 2000. And it had earned a nickname: \u201cChinese Beverly Hills.\u201d<\/p>\n Ms. Wang, whom her lawyers said was a U.S. citizen, did not appear to be part of this influx of wealth. She and her then husband, Henry Wang, ran an after-school tutoring program, Little Stanford Academy. Her address history shows a series of relatively modest homes in the area. <\/p>\n Social media posts on accounts associated with Ms. Wang suggest that she had also worked as a real estate agent and cafe owner, and participated in local organizations like the Chamber of Commerce and Rotary Club.<\/p>\n Thomas Beck, a retired lawyer who is also a former Arcadia mayor, recalled Ms. Wang telling him that she had divorced her husband.<\/p>\n Reached by phone, Mr. Wang declined a request for comment.<\/p>\n In 2018, Ms. Wang established the American Southwest Chamber of Commerce, which promoted business and cultural ties with China. At the group\u2019s founding ceremony<\/a>, flags from both countries were arranged side-by-side, and performers sang both national anthems.<\/p>\n In remarks delivered in English, Ms. Wang noted the group\u2019s goal to \u201cpromote the integration of Chinese immigrants into American society.\u201d She then gave a lengthier speech in Mandarin, adding that the group was dedicated to promoting China\u2019s \u201cgreat rejuvenation\u201d and the \u201cpeaceful reunification\u201d of the motherland.<\/p>\n That speech echoed China\u2019s top leader, Xi Jinping, for whom China\u2019s \u201cgreat rejuvenation\u201d is a favorite catchphrase<\/a> and mainland China\u2019s \u201cpeaceful reunification\u201d with Taiwan a longtime goal<\/a>. Within Taiwan, the prospect of unifying with China has become increasingly unpopular<\/a>, and Beijing\u2019s growing aggression<\/a> toward the island democracy has become a flashpoint in U.S.-China relations.<\/p>\n In 2018, Mr. Wang\u2019s name appeared on the nonprofit\u2019s incorporation papers. By the next year, a local report<\/a> indicated that someone else had become the chairman: Yaoning Sun, otherwise known as Mike.<\/p>\n The Boyfriend<\/p>\n In the San Gabriel Valley, Mr. Sun was known for working on cultural exchanges between the United States and China.<\/p>\n Like many similar groups, the American Southwest Chamber of Commerce organized charity drives and events that often brought together Chinese business leaders and community figures, as well as American politicians and officials from the Chinese consulate.<\/p>\n By 2020, Ms. Wang and Mr. Sun had started U.S. News Center, a Chinese-language website for the local Chinese American community, according to her plea agreement.<\/p>\n Archived versions<\/a> of the now defunct website show content much like that of other Chinese-language \u201cnews\u201d outlets that have emerged in recent years \u2014 ranging from geopolitics to U.S. military news, film festival reports and stock market developments.<\/p>\n Prosecutors said that Ms. Wang and Mr. Sun \u201cexecuted directives\u201d from Chinese government officials by posting pro-Beijing articles and then reporting audience numbers. It is unclear whether they were paid for their work.<\/p>\n The propaganda is unsurprising \u2014 offering, for instance, China\u2019s defense of its repressive crackdown on the Uyghurs.<\/p>\n In August 2021, officials complimented Ms. Wang for a post that she said had been viewed more than 15,000 times, according to the plea agreement.<\/p>\n \u201cThank you leader,\u201d she responded.<\/p>\n Archives show that the website also regularly published transcripts of news conferences<\/a> by China\u2019s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as well as political documents<\/a> by the Chinese Communist Party.<\/p>\n Ms. Wang also appeared on the website. An October 2021 article noted her familial ties to two prominent historical figures, including an early 20th-century Communist naval commander.<\/p>\n \u201cI plan to carry forward the unfinished legacy of my revolutionary ancestors,\u201d she was quoted as saying, and \u201cdo my best to build friendship between the U.S. and China.\u201d<\/p>\n \u2018New Political Star\u2019<\/p>\n By 2022, Ms. Wang was campaigning for Arcadia City Council.<\/p>\n In an early campaign filing<\/a>, she registered as a Republican, but later switched to the Democratic Party to better align with her constituents, she told The Los Angeles Times<\/a> in 2024.<\/p>\n She campaigned on improving public safety and addressing homelessness. She racked up endorsements and raised more than $119,000, an impressive haul in a race in which most candidates took in the tens of thousands. On social media, she documented enthusiastic door knocking.<\/p>\n Mr. Sun was listed as her campaign treasurer. By late 2022, he was also described as her fianc\u00e9.<\/p>\n In a December 2022 speech when she was sworn into the City Council, Ms. Wang thanked \u201cmy fianc\u00e9, director Mike Sun, who walked the streets with me every single day, who is a real leader of me.\u201d<\/p>\n The day after she was sworn in, Ms. Wang attended a meeting in Southern California that included Mr. Sun, according to court documents.<\/p>\n John Chen, who had been known<\/a> as an overseas consultant to the Chinese government, later described the group to Chinese government officials as a \u201cteam dedicated\u201d to Beijing\u2019s interests, according to court documents. (Mr. Chen was sentenced<\/a> in 2024 to 20 months in prison for acting as an illegal foreign agent.)<\/p>\n Mr. Sun later drafted a report that described Ms. Wang as a \u201cnew political star,\u201d and a list of U.S. officials she was \u201cfamiliar\u201d with, court documents show.<\/p>\n In conversations with Chinese government officials, the men claimed credit for Ms. Wang\u2019s election victory, court documents show.<\/p>\n It is unclear whether, or to what extent, Ms. Wang was aware of this communication. \u201cI think we should not let her know for now,\u201d Mr. Chen told Mr. Sun in a February 2023 audio message.<\/p>\n The Fall<\/p>\n As an Arcadia councilwoman, Ms. Wang attended the city\u2019s Christmas tree lighting and supported veterans programs, according to social media posts and interviews with other council members.<\/p>\n Her City Council colleagues noted Ms. Wang\u2019s seemingly boundless enthusiasm for showing up to events. In the beginning, Mr. Sun was often around, said April Verlato, a former mayor who was on the council with Ms. Wang.<\/p>\n \u201cHe took her to everything,\u201d Ms. Verlato recalled.<\/p>\n Contentious China-related issues almost never rose to the council agenda, colleagues said.<\/p>\n Privately, Ms. Wang continued promoting her commerce group. In February 2023, she went to Boca Raton, Fla., to attend a small gathering of leaders from overseas Chinese groups and officials from the Chinese Embassy in Washington, according to an article<\/a> from an online Chinese-language account.<\/p>\n In July 2023, Ms. Wang officially stepped down from her position as president. At the annual conference in California, which was well attended by local elected officials, American and Chinese flags were once again displayed side-by-side. Mr. Sun was noted as the director of the ceremony.<\/p>\n Ms. Wang and Mr. Sun maintained ties through at least September 2023, when they traveled together to Los Angeles from a trip to China, court documents showed. The documents do not specify the purpose of the trip.<\/p>\n Then, in December 2024, federal prosecutors announced<\/a> charges against Mr. Sun, who later pleaded guilty to acting as an illegal agent of a foreign government. He was sentenced<\/a> in February to 48 months in federal prison. Adam Olin, Mr. Sun\u2019s public defender, declined a request for comment.<\/p>\n As Mr. Sun\u2019s legal troubles grew, Ms. Wang tried to distance herself from him.<\/p>\n During a City Council meeting in September, Ms. Wang reversed course from her previous statements, flatly denying that Mr. Sun had ever been her fianc\u00e9. He was now her \u201cex-boyfriend,\u201d and she dared anyone to suggest otherwise.<\/p>\n \u201cPlease prove it,\u201d Ms. Wang said.<\/p>\n \u201cI am very proud of myself,\u201d she went on to say. \u201cI always stand with our country.\u201d<\/p>\n Yi Liu and Kitty Bennett contributed research.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"On the day she was sworn in as mayor, Eileen Wang spoke in soaring terms about her journey…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":38497,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[4],"tags":[22320,272,12251,15689,13094,22319,14127,8,5074,9,9998,7,17289],"class_list":["post-38496","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-top-stories","tag-arcadia-calif","tag-china","tag-chinese-americans","tag-city-councils","tag-content-type-personal-profile","tag-eileen-1969","tag-foreign-agents-registration-act","tag-headlines","tag-mayors","tag-news","tag-propaganda","tag-top-stories","tag-wang"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@news\/116720487769876628","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38496","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=38496"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38496\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/38497"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=38496"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=38496"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=38496"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}