US: LA area mayor to plead guilty to acting as Chinese agent

Eileen Wang, the former mayor of Arcadia, a Los Angeles suburb with a significant Chinese-American population, has agreed to plead guilty to acting as an illegal agent of the Chinese government. Wang faces a felony charge that carries a maximum prison sentence of 10 years. She resigned shortly after her case was made public. The charge stems from her operation of a news website targeting the local Chinese-American community, which prosecutors say disseminated pro-Chinese propaganda under the direction of Chinese officials. According to the plea agreement, Wang and an associate, Yaoning "Mike" Sun, promoted content favorable to China from late 2020 to 2022 through the US News Center website. The propaganda included articles disputing reports of human rights abuses against Uyghurs in China’s Xinjiang region. Sun, who was Wang’s fiancé and campaign treasurer, pleaded guilty to the same charge in 2025 and is currently serving a four-year prison sentence. Prosecutors also linked Wang to John Chen, a Chinese Communist Party operative who pleaded guilty in 2024 and received a 20-month sentence. Wang was elected to Arcadia’s city council in November 2022 and became mayor in February 2023 on a rotating basis. Arcadia, home to about 53,000 residents, is known for its large Chinese-American community, making the case particularly sensitive amid broader concerns about foreign influence in U.S. politics. Wang’s attorneys acknowledged her acceptance of responsibility and expressed regret for her actions, emphasizing her continued commitment to the local community. This case highlights ongoing U.S. efforts to counter covert foreign influence operations, especially those linked to China. It underscores the challenges faced by communities with strong ties to foreign countries and raises questions about the vulnerability of local governments to foreign interference. Wang’s guilty plea marks a significant development in federal investigations into Chinese government influence within the United States.