China recruited and hired private investigators to harass U.S.-based dissidents and forcibly repatriate them, reports The Wall Street Journal. Congressional candidate Yan Xiong, a student leader in the Tiananmen Square pro-democracy protests in 1989, was allegedly one of the targets. Citing federal law-enforcement officials and unsealed court cases, the Journal says the Chinese government recruited private investigators at U.S. trade associations and through cold calls and hired them to pressure individuals located in the U.S. and elsewhere outside of China to return to the PRC to face charges or reach financial settlements with the Chinese government. Earlier this week, Sun Hoi Ying, a citizen of the People’s Republic of China, was charged with acting and conspiring to act in the U.S. as an unregistered agent of the Chinese government. Today’s charges reflect this Office’s continued commitment, working hand in hand with our partners at the FBI, to combat transnational repression and bring to justice those who perpetrate it."

Source: Wall Street Journal April 02, 2022 16:46 UTC