Linda Sun has been charged with acting as an illegal agent of the Chinese government who used her numerous positions with the New York state government to advance Beijing's agenda in exchange for financial benefits worth millions of dollars. Sun served both for current Gov. Kathy Hochul and former Gov. Andrew Cuomo. She was arrested Tuesday morning along with her husband, Chris Hu, at their 4-million-dollar home on Long Island.
Prosecutors said Sun, at the request of Chinese officials, blocked representatives of the Taiwanese government from having access to the governor's office and shaped New York governmental messaging to align with the priorities of the Chinese government. In exchange the Chinese government provided the couple with a lavish lifestyle.
Gordon Chang is an Asian policy analyst and author of "China is Going to War."
“What this case highlights is that the party's infiltration of the American political system has been thorough. She served in ways which advanced Communist Party positions. She advocated for them, and she did not disclose her contacts with the Communist Party."
More than Linda Sun
There have been other examples of Chinese nationals in key positions in academics or industry in recent years.
In 2017, Zhen Liu, employed by a U.S. aerospace company, was arrested and charged with attempting to steal trade secrets.
In 2018, Fan Yang pleaded guilty to acting as an agent of the Chinese government. He was accused of stealing trade secrets while working as a researcher at the University of Texas at Austin.
In 2019, Wang Hua was arrested and charge with acting as an unregistered Chinese agent while working as a researcher at the University of California-Los Angeles.
Chang says the Communist Party's United Front Work Department has completely infiltrated the American political system.
The impact is felt from far more than government bureaucrats.
Chinese intelligence has quietly operated “service centers” in a handful of major U.S. cities, one of those in St. Paul, Minnesota, near Gov. Tim Walz, Kamala Harris’ vice-presidential running mate.
The purpose of these centers is to monitor and intimidate dissidents and others critical of China, The Daily Caller reported.
According to data from the Government Accountability Office, roughly 100 U.S. universities were operating “Confucius Institutes,” which offered Chinese language and cultural programs. These were funded in part by the Chinese government, raising concerns from American lawmakers.
In 2018, Congress restricted federal funding to schools with Confucius Institutes. Now only a handful remain.
Politically, neither side of the aisle is free from Chinese influence.
“Neither Republicans nor Democrats, neither liberals nor conservatives, are immune to this, and the American people must demand that we sever these ties."
But will a new administration respond to those demands?
Elections have consequences
Chang says meaningful change would be less likely in a Kamala Harris White House than in a second Donald Trump term.
“I believe President Trump would be more vigorous in investigating Communist Party ties with American officials than a President Harris. But we've got to remember that both political parties have been infiltrated."
