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Clues show Huang Ping was Chinese diplomat directing New York official

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Clues show Huang Ping was Chinese diplomat directing New York official
September 6, 2024
Article Body Text Linda Sun, a former aide to two New York governors, appears to have received direct orders and bribes from a top Chinese diplomat, according to evidence in the Justice Department’s list of allegations against her. Sun, 41, was arrested on Sept. 3 on 10 federal criminal charges, including acting as an agent for the Chinese government, visa fraud and other offenses while working for Gov. Kathy Hochul and former Gov. Andrew Cuomo. In return, she and her husband, who has also been charged, received “substantial benefits” that included significant financial gains, according to the 64-page indictment. U.S. prosecutors allege that Sun was in direct contact with several Chinese government officials, including an unnamed person labeled as “PRC-Official 1.” PRC refers to the People’s Republic of China. Based on evidence included in the filing, RFA has identified PRC-Official 1 as Huang Ping, who at the time was the consul general of the Chinese Consulate in New York. The official is accused of directing Sun to persuade Hochul and Cuomo to issue statements favorable to the Chinese government and to censor their speeches for content that put the country in a negative light. <img alt="QC_gov-aide-follow_v003-01.png" class="image-richtext image-inline" src="https://www.rfa.org/english/news/china/qc_gov-aide-follow_v003-01.png/@@images/9bc12eae-6145-4e79-9e2a-5e22bd15c6df.png" title="QC_gov-aide-follow_v003-01.png"/> Huang has since left his post, though the circumstances of his departure remain unclear. The alleged connections between Sun and Huang should be a warning to leaders across fields to watch for efforts by the Chinese Communist Party to influence their activities, said Sophie Richardson, who tracked human rights abuses in China for years as China director for Human Rights Watch. “This isn’t just in politics, but also in universities, professional associations and cultural groups,” Richardson told RFA. “Again and again, the CCP tries to write the script when they can get their foot in the door.” The U.S. State and Justice departments did not respond to a request for comment, nor did the Chinese Consulate in New York or the Chinese Embassy in Washington. Sun’s lawyers also did not return requests for comment. <figure><img alt="20240904-HUANG-PING-CHINA-CONSUL-004.jpg" class="image-richtext image-inline" src="https://www.rfa.org/english/news/china/china-spying-huang-ping-linda-sun-new-york-09062024143624.html/20240904-huang-ping-china-consul-004.jpg/@@images/9d2e3f63-9e3e-41d5-a989-a28490513f30.jpeg" title="20240904-HUANG-PING-CHINA-CONSUL-004.jpg"/> <figcaption>Image from the Linda Sun indictment. Huang's face can be seen in the same photo posted on the Chinese consulate's webpage. (US Department of Justice)</figcaption> </figure> Salted duck and other perks According to the indictment, PRC Official-1 was one of four New York Chinese consulate officials who Sun was in touch with and who provided perks to her and her family. The benefits included the delivery of Nanjing-style salted duck, cooked by Huang’s personal chef, to Sun’s parents. Money that Sun and her husband, Chris Hu, 42, received from the scheme described in the indictment helped them buy a $3.6 million property in Manhasset, New York, a condominium in Honolulu for $1.9 million, and various luxury automobiles, including a 2024 Ferrari, the indictment alleges. Hu, a businessman, was charged with money laundering in the same indictment on Sept. 3. In all, Huang, as identified as PRC Official-1, is mentioned 42 times throughout the indictment. The evidence that Huang is the unnamed diplomat includes a photo of Huang and Sun together at a Lunar New Year event at the consulate in 2023 where he allegedly received a framed gubernatorial proclamation. PRC Official-1’s face is blurred but the exact image with Huang’s unblurred face can still be found on the <a href="http://newyork.china-consulate.gov.cn/lghd/202301/t20230119_11011469.htm">New York consulate official website</a>, with <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20240905160937/http://newyork.china-consulate.gov.cn/lghd/202301/t20230119_11011469.htm">a caption</a> that says he was receiving a recognition from Hochul, whom the indictment identifies as “Politician 2.” <img alt="QC_gov-aide-follow_v003-02.png" class="image-richtext image-inline" src="https://www.rfa.org/english/news/china/china-spying-huang-ping-linda-sun-new-york-09062024143624.html/qc_gov-aide-follow_v003-02.png/@@images/8774bf90-b82f-450a-8545-675d2a0f0302.png" title="QC_gov-aide-follow_v003-02.png"/> The indictment also alleges that Chinese officials had earlier asked Sun to obtain a gubernatorial proclamation for PRC Official-1. On April 4, 2020, PRC Official-1 told Sun to remind Cuomo to thank the Chinese government for facilitating the ventilator donation during the COVID crisis, according to the indictment. On that same day, Cuomo publicly thanked Huang both in his public remarks and in a Twitter (now X) post for arranging the donation. Huang’s name can still be seen in Cuomo's<a href="https://x.com/NYGovCuomo/status/1246514963449028610"> post</a> and a <a href="https://www.guancha.cn/internation/2020_04_05_545522.shtml">video</a> from that day. Avoiding controversial topics In another instance, Sun allegedly bragged to Huang that she had “successfully blocked all formal and informal meetings” between a Taiwanese diplomat and the New York governors. She also sought Huang’s advice on managing future requests from the Taiwanese diplomat. China considers Taiwan to be part of its territory and pressures foreign officials to avoid recognizing the democratic island as its own country. Sun worked behind the scenes with Huang to influence what her bosses publicly said as well. For example, Huang encouraged Sun to keep any reference to the plight of the Uyghurs in Xinjiang, China, out of Hochul’s Lunar New Year message. According to the indictment, a speechwriter in the governor’s office was insisting on noting human rights abuses perpetrated against the largely Muslim community in the speech. <figure><img alt="20240904-HUANG-PING-CHINA-CONSUL-003.jpg" class="image-richtext image-inline" src="https://www.rfa.org/english/news/china/china-spying-huang-ping-linda-sun-new-york-09062024143624.html/20240904-huang-ping-china-consul-003.jpg/@@images/de266980-adb1-4f61-af91-4b3d797307ba.jpeg" title="20240904-HUANG-PING-CHINA-CONSUL-003.jpg"/> <figcaption>Huang Ping, as China's consul general in New York, throws out the ceremonial first pitch during a baseball game between the New York Mets and the Atlanta Braves, Aug. 24, 2019, in New York. (Mary Altaffer/AP)</figcaption> </figure> Huang blamed the sour relationship between China and the United States on people like the speechwriter, whom he said had likely never been to China, according to the indictment. Sun agreed, and the New Year’s message didn’t mention the Uyghurs. Huang later posted Hochul’s short address on the consulate’s <a href="https://www.facebook.com/ChinaCGNYC/videos/2847398992138899/">Facebook page</a>. The allegations read like a “spy novel,” said U.S. Rep. John Moolenaar, a Michigan Republican who chairs the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party. “We need to recognize that the Chinese Communist Party isn't simply way over there, but they are on our shores and working to subvert the American experience," Moolenaar said. Questions about Huang’s departure Huang Ping, meanwhile, is moving on, although the circumstances are still unclear. On Wednesday, Hochul said she had expressed to the State Department her desire to have him expelled and told reporters that he was no longer in the position. The State Department later said that his term had ended but not at the direction of the United States. <hr/> RELATED STORIES <a href="https://www.rfa.org/english/news/china/china-spying-linda-sun-fbi-09032024162207.html">Former aide to New York governor tried to advance China's interest, prosecutors say</a> <a href="https://www.rfa.org/english/news/china/china-spying-united-states-wang-shujun-07192024122352.html">Podcast: Master of Deceit, Episode 1 -- The Secret life of Mr. Wang</a> <a href="https://www.rfa.org/english/news/china/china-spying-dissident-yuanjun-tang-08272024103441.html">Arrest of Chinese dissident on spy charges leaves trial of broken trust</a> <hr/> Huang himself spoke to the issue at a Sept. 3 farewell party in Philadelphia hosted by the Chinese American community, the day Linda Sun was arrested. "I have been ordered to return to China soon,” he told the gathered crowd. “As the time comes to say goodbye, my heart is filled with nostalgia and reluctance.” He then sang "My Chinese Heart" and "I Am Chinese” in karaoke, and posed for photos with the crowd in front of a large LED screen that read, "Farewell to Ping Huang, completing his term and returning to China." Stephen Young, a former U.S. ambassador and diplomat with over 33 years of experience, told RFA that the conflicting information about Huang’s departure suggests both countries prefer to handle the situation "quietly" and not let what may be a case of corruption have broader diplomatic significance. “[Given] our significant economic and political interests with China, we try to proceed cautiously in our actions," Young told RFA. Tara McKelvey for RFA Investigative and Nuriman Abdureshit for the RFA Uyghur Service contributed to this report. Edited by Boer Deng and Jim Snyder.
Content Type Text
Language English
NewsML Media Topics Arts, Culture, Entertainment and Media
Subtitles / Dubbing Available No
Rights (Liu Yanan/Xinhua via Getty Images)
Network VOA
Embargo Date September 6, 2024 15:37 EDT
Byline By Jane Tang for RFA Investigative
Brand / Language Service Voice of America - English