Two New York residents, Lu Jianwang, 61, and Chen Jinping, 59, have been apprehended by US federal agents for reportedly operating a covert Chinese "police station" in Manhattan's Chinatown. Prosecutors claim this was part of an effort to crack down on Beijing's supposed targeting of dissidents. The two accused face charges of conspiring to act as agents of China's government without informing US authorities, and obstruction of justice. They were later released on bond after their initial appearance in a Brooklyn federal court.
A 2022 investigation by Safeguard Defenders, a Spain-based advocacy group, revealed that China had established overseas "service stations," including one in New York. These stations allegedly collaborated with Chinese police to pressure fugitives to return to China. While the Chinese government claims these centers are run by local volunteers, not Chinese officers, and exist to aid Chinese citizens with document renewal and other services, the US Department of Justice has been increasing investigations into what it terms "transnational repression" by adversaries like China and Iran to intimidate political opponents residing in the United States.
Breon Peace, the top federal prosecutor in Brooklyn, emphasized that the US will not tolerate China's persecution of pro-democracy activists who have sought refuge in the country. In addition to these arrests, charges were announced against 34 Chinese officials for allegedly operating a "troll farm" and harassing dissidents online, including by disrupting their meetings on US technology platforms.
Lu and Chen, both US citizens, lead a nonprofit organization whose mission is to provide a social gathering place for individuals from China's Fujian province. Prosecutors claim that before its closure in 2022, their New York operation occupied an entire floor in a nondescript Chinatown building near the Manhattan Bridge. Peace said the site was used "at the very least" for government services, like helping Chinese citizens renew their driver's licenses, which should have been disclosed to US authorities. However, more "sinister" activities were also alleged.
According to prosecutors, in 2022, Lu helped establish the so-called police station and was asked by the Chinese government to locate a pro-democracy activist in California. In 2018, Lu had tried to persuade a person considered a fugitive by China to return home. Lu and Chen reportedly admitted to the FBI that they deleted their communications with a Chinese government official.
FBI Director Christopher Wray expressed his concerns about the presence of such stations in US cities to a Senate committee in November. Previously, prosecutors charged over a dozen Chinese nationals and others with carrying out surveillance and harassment campaigns against dissidents in the United States, including by attempting to forcibly repatriate those deemed fugitives by China.
