Illegal Police Station in Brooklyn, New York
Charges were filed in federal court in Brooklyn, New York, charging two defendants with the opening and operating of an illegal Chinese police station located in lower Manhattan, New York, the Ministry of Public Security (MPS) of the People's Republic of China. "Harry" Lu Jianwang, 61, of the Bronx, and Chen Jinping, 59, of Manhattan, were arrested at their homes in New York City. Their initial appearance was scheduled for Wednesday in Brooklyn.
As listed in the charges, Lu and Chen have been charged with acting as agents for the Chinese government in addition to obstructing justice by destroying evidence of their communications with MPS officials. The accused worked together to create the first overseas police station in the United States for the MPS. The operation ran from an office building in Manhattan's Chinatown. The police station closed in the fall of 2022 after those operating it were made aware of the FBI's investigation.
On Tuesday, Foreign Ministry spokesperson for China Wang Wenbin said there was "no such thing as an overseas police station" and condemned the U.S. for "smears and political manipulation." China's Foreign Ministry stated the purpose of these operations was to assist Chinese citizens with tasks usually performed at police stations in China.
However, according to a report published last year by the Spain-based group Safeguard Defenders, a nonprofit human rights group that investigates mysterious Chinese disappearances, Chinese police use these offices to perform surveillance on critics abroad and to harass or threaten both citizens and non-citizens alike.
"This case serves as a powerful reminder that the People's Republic of China will stop at nothing to bend people to their will and silence messages they don't want anyone to hear," Kurt Ronnow, director of the FBI Counterintelligence Division, said in a statement.
U.S. and Chinese relations have been at a historic low for quite some time. In February, the U.S. canceled a visit by Secretary of State Anthony Blinken to China amid a scandal involving a Chinese spy balloon that overflew the United States. The accusations of illegal Chinese police stations will likely boost sentiments of distrust for China and fuel the ongoing movement for banning Chinese companies like TikTok.
It is unclear whether or not China will seek the release of the two men, who are both U.S. citizens. However, as China, in the past, has been accused of hostage diplomacy, they may retaliate due to these arrests.