California Mayor Refuses To Resign After Ex - Fiance Went To Prison For Being A CCP Spy

thefederalist.com · Mar 2, 2026 · Collected from GDELT

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A Democratic mayor in a Southern California city is facing pressure to resign after her former fiancé was sentenced to four years in federal prison for acting as an illegal agent of communist China. Yaoning “Mike” Sun, a Chinese national and U.S. green card holder from Chino Hills, California, received a jail sentence in early February after pleading guilty last year to one count of acting as an unregistered agent of a foreign government. From at least 2022 to early 2024, he knowingly carried out directives from Chinese officials without notifying the U.S. government. Sun’s activities included surveilling groups that the Chinese Communist Party considers threats, such as Falun Gong (a spiritual practice banned in China) practitioners and advocates for the independence of Taiwan, Tibet, or Xinjiang. Additionally, Sun produced and disseminated pro-CCP propaganda through a purported news website targeting the local Chinese American group in the greater Los Angeles area. A notable instance occurred during Taiwan’s then-President Tsai Ing-wen’s visit to Southern California in 2023, when Sun monitored her movements in real time, photographed supporters and opponents, and reported the intelligence to officials at the Chinese Consulate in Los Angeles. Another Chinese national John Chen (also known as Chen Jun) served as an intermediary between Sun and the Chinese government. In February 2023, at Chen’s direction, Sun submitted a report of his accomplishments to Chinese officials, boasting of his success in cultivating a “new political star” in Southern California to advance pro-China policies. He even requested $80,000 to further his efforts. That “political star” was Eileen Wang, a Democratic politician who immigrated from China more than three decades ago. Sun served as her campaign consultant, treasurer, and adviser during her successful 2022 run for the Arcadia City Council. The two were engaged at the time. The Los Angeles Times revealed that some campaign donations Sun facilitated to Wang came from individuals linked to the Chinese government, with at least one donor registered as a foreign agent. In December 2022, shortly after her election, Wang publicly called Sun her fiancé and praised his pivotal role in her election victory during a recorded city council meeting. Arcadia Mayor / City Councilmember Eileen Wang (王爱琳) is a shameless liar.Wang commented on her relationship with 🇨🇳 Mike Sun, who served as her campaign manager in 2022, during a city council meeting on Dec 6, 2022 (upper right video):"To my fiancé, Mike Sun, who walked… https://t.co/hPgChM1G01 pic.twitter.com/Uxm65Nd69j— Byron Wan (@Byron_Wan) February 19, 2026 In 2024, John Chen pled guilty and was later sentenced to 20 months in prison for acting as an unregistered agent of communist China and bribing an Internal Revenue Service agent in connection with a plot to target U.S.-based practitioners of Falun Gong. Not long after, authorities arrested Sun in late 2024 and charged him with acting as an illegal foreign agent. To distance herself from the fallout, Councilwoman Wang claimed that her relationship with Sun had ended eight months prior to his arrest. She even went as far as to deny during a city council meeting last year that he was ever her fiancé. However, her credibility took a hit when a recording emerged in which she clearly referred to Sun as her fiancé. Despite the intense controversy and growing public pressure for her resignation, Wang was sworn in as Arcadia’s mayor in February 2026. While authorities sentenced Sun shortly thereafter, Wang — who has not faced any accusations of wrongdoing or been placed under investigation — continues to resist calls for her resignation and remains silent on the issue. This case is not isolated but emblematic of the CCP’s sophisticated overseas influence operations, primarily orchestrated through its United Front Work Department. These efforts cultivate individuals, groups, and politicians abroad to shape narratives, promote Beijing’s interests, and conduct transnational repression against dissidents, as highlighted in a recent report by the Jamestown Foundation. In recent years, the United Front has stepped up its efforts to target emerging local officials in the United States. Through campaign support, voter mobilization, and discreet funding channels, these operations often go unnoticed, especially in lower-profile races where oversight is less stringent. The CCP views building relationships with “China-friendly” officials as a long-term investment that could prove beneficial as these politicians move up to higher offices. Comparable examples abound. Chinese spy Christine Fang (Fang Fang) posed as a student in the U.S. from 2011 to 2015, building ties with local politicians, including fundraising for then-Councilmember Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., and placing an intern in his office. The FBI warned Swalwell in 2015. Fang fled to China after authorities exposed her espionage activities in 2020, and no one filed charges against Swalwell. Swalwell is currently the front-runner in California’s gubernatorial race. More recently, authorities arrested Linda Sun, a prominent aide to former New York Governors Andrew Cuomo and Kathy Hochul, in September 2024 along with her husband, Chris Hu. They face charges of acting as agents for communist China in exchange for millions of dollars in benefits. Prior to her role in the governor’s office, Sun was the chief of staff for Democratic Congresswoman Grace Meng during Meng’s time in the New York State Assembly and also served in Meng’s successful congressional campaign. The trial for Linda Sun and her husband ended in a mistrial in December 2025 when the jurors were unable to reach a verdict. The government plans to retry the case. The mistrial in Linda Sun’s case revealed the difficulties in countering the CCP’s influence operations. Many individuals and groups linked to the United Front avoid transparency by not registering under the Foreign Agents Registration Act. The Jamestown Foundation’s report identified 967 United Front-linked organizations in the United States, none of which are currently registered under FARA. When authorities expose their espionage activities, agents like Fang often flee to China, becoming untouchable due to the lack of an extradition treaty between the United States and China (see examples here, here, and here). Despite extensive media coverage of high-profile spy cases, many Americans remain unaware of or underestimate these threats. They often question the significance of figures like Linda Sun, who obstructed Taiwanese officials from meeting the governor of New York, and Councilwoman Eileen Wang, who interacted with a Chinese spy while accepting campaign contributions tied to the Chinese government. The fact that none of the implicated politicians — mostly Democrats — have faced any consequences, and their careers persist, only reinforces the public’s impression that none of these spies pose any serious threats, even as FBI officials warn that United Front campaigns targeting local politics undermine our democratic integrity for Beijing’s benefit. These challenges to counter the CCP’s influence operations only mean that the U.S. must act decisively and swiftly. First, we must educate the public and policymakers about the United Front’s tactics, as noted in the Jamestown report. Second, we need to strengthen enforcement of the Foreign Agents Registration Act to expose hidden connections and ensure accountability from those acting on behalf of foreign powers like the CCP. Third, enhancing scrutiny of campaign finance and increasing resources for counterintelligence will help us detect and disrupt these operations before they take root in our neighborhoods. The recent incident in Southern California reminds us that unchecked influence operations undermine our democracy. Ignoring these threats only invites further exploitation. Protecting American sovereignty requires our immediate commitment to vigilance and transparency — starting now, before the next “political star” emerges from the shadows. Helen Raleigh, CFA, is an American entrepreneur, writer, and speaker. She's a senior contributor at The Federalist. Her writings appear in other national media, including The Wall Street Journal and Fox News. Helen is the author of several books, including "Confucius Never Said" and “Backlash: How Communist China's Aggression Has Backfired." Her latest book is "Not Outsiders: Asian Americans’ political activism from the 19th century to today.” Follow her on Twitter: @HRaleighspeaks. BeijingCaliforniaCCPChinaChinese CommunistChinese spyDemocratsEric SwalwellFARAlocal politicsSouthern CaliforniaTaiwan