(The Epoch Times)—Linda Sun, former deputy chief of staff to the New York governor, was arrested by the FBI for spying for Beijing on Sept. 3. The next day, it was announced the New York Chinese consul general was no longer in his position, coinciding with a request from Gov. Kathy Hochul to the State Department to expel him.
Analysts say the case serves as a warning to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and its agents hiding within the U.S. government.
In its indictment, the Department of Justice (DOJ), says Sun violated the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) and is charged with 10 counts, including visa fraud, money laundering, and accepting benefits to engage in activities that benefit China and the CCP. Her businessman husband, Christopher Hu, 40, was also charged with multiple crimes, including money laundering.
Sun acted at the request of CCP officials and “engaged in numerous political activities in the interests of the PRC and the CCP, including blocking representatives of the Taiwanese government from having access to high-level New York State officers,” the DOJ said in a press release.
The charges against Sun also include “changing high-level New York State officers’ messaging regarding issues of importance to the PRC and the CCP; obtaining official New York State proclamations for PRC government representatives without proper authorization,” and “arranging meetings for visiting delegations from the PRC government with New York State government officials” among others.
The DOJ said Sun received “substantial economic and other benefits” from the CCP for these activities. PRC is the acronym for China’s official name: the People’s Republic of China.
Sun, 41, also known as Wen Sun, is a naturalized U.S. citizen who was born in Nanjing, China, and moved to the United States with her parents at the age of 5.
She worked in the New York state government for about 15 years. In 2009, Sun served as chief of staff to New York State Assembly representative Grace Meng, a Democrat, who is currently a member of the U.S. House of Representatives. In 2012, Sun joined the New York state government of Gov. Andrew Cuomo and later served as deputy chief of staff to Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul, now the governor.
Infiltrating US Government
Wang Juntao, chairman of the National Committee of the China Democratic Party, said the case is especially important to people like himself—overseas Chinese activists who publicly protest against the CCP’s tyranny—because “those in the U.S. government who speak for and act on behalf of the CCP are the ones who should be the main focus of U.S. law enforcement’s crackdown.”
Wang said that the United States started the crackdown on CCP agents in the United States through FARA under former President Donald Trump, and then, “President Biden systematized it, since then the Western world has formed a unified containment of the CCP’s overseas spying operations.”
U.S.-based current affairs commentator Tang Jingyuan told The Epoch Times that Sun’s case is somewhat special because, in the past, most of the CCP spies arrested by the FBI were overseas Chinese community leaders or those posing as democracy activists.
“They were mainly engaged in transnational repression or collecting intelligence on Chinese dissidents in the United States, mostly in the field of human rights,” he said.
Sun’s case is different, Tang said, “mainly because she holds a high position in the U.S. government system, which affects many policies in New York State and even involves U.S. diplomatic relations.”
Tony Hu, a former U.S. Department of Defense official, told The Epoch Times that any U.S. civil servant must understand that, whether in the federal, state, or local government, “as long as you are a civil servant, you cannot use the convenience of your job to help foreign government. This will definitely be punished by U.S. law.”
Hu emphasized that civil servants “are supposed to help their country, state, and city—not foreign countries.”
Chinese Consulate Middleman
U.S. State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said at a press conference on Sept. 4 that New York Chinese consul general Huang Ping left his post, but “was not expelled.”
“Our understanding is that the consul general reached the end of a regular scheduled rotation in August,” Miller said.
Huang had served as the consul general in New York since November 2018. According to the CCP’s “Regulations on the Tenure, Seniority and Vacations of Permanent Personnel in Embassies and Consulates Abroad,” the general term of a consul general is three years, so Huang’s term should end in November this year.
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Taiwanese retired Maj. Gen. Yu Tsung-chi, an adviser to the Formosa Republican Association, said the United States chose to accept the expiration of Huang’s term instead of demanding expulsion “to avoid enraging China to take the same expulsion measures to retaliate.”
“Then it would become a mutual revenge between democratic and totalitarian countries, which will blur the focus of the case. Therefore, the United States obviously wants to downplay such a serious intelligence infiltration incident in a low-key manner,” Yu told The Epoch Times.
Wang said that the CCP has deployed secret agents all over the United States.
Wang said that based on his knowledge and his connections in the CCP’s top political and military circles, for the CCP’s overseas agents “the Chinese consulate’s role is less significant [in the CCP’s espionage activities], and Beijing is directly controlling the overseas agents through the United Front Work Department from behind the scenes. Therefore, despite that the FBI has put a lot of effort, sometimes it is difficult to find evidence.”
The United Front Work Department is the Chinese regime’s spy and propaganda agency that also controls the regime’s transnational repression campaigns against overseas dissidents.
“The center of the CCP’s spy network is in Beijing. They mostly have exclusive contacts and will not let others know. The Chinese consulate itself also knows that they are actually under [the U.S. government’s] surveillance,” Wang said.
“The Chinese consulate also does deals with some American entrepreneurs, but the Chinese consulate is too conspicuous. The consulate will attend some activities of overseas Chinese groups, but they are not the ones who make the real arrangements.”
A CCP overseas agent who defected and fled to Australia, said that he directly took orders from the CCP’s secret police in Beijing.
Luo Ya, Ning Haizhong, and Fei Zhen contributed to this report.
Five Things New “Preppers” Forget When Getting Ready for Bad Times Ahead
The preparedness community is growing faster than it has in decades. Even during peak times such as Y2K, the economic downturn of 2008, and Covid, the vast majority of Americans made sure they had plenty of toilet paper but didn’t really stockpile anything else.
Things have changed. There’s a growing anxiety in this presidential election year that has prompted more Americans to get prepared for crazy events in the future. Some of it is being driven by fearmongers, but there are valid concerns with the economy, food supply, pharmaceuticals, the energy grid, and mass rioting that have pushed average Americans into “prepper” mode.
There are degrees of preparedness. One does not have to be a full-blown “doomsday prepper” living off-grid in a secure Montana bunker in order to be ahead of the curve. In many ways, preparedness isn’t about being able to perfectly handle every conceivable situation. It’s about being less dependent on government for as long as possible. Those who have proper “preps” will not be waiting for FEMA to distribute emergency supplies to the desperate masses.
Below are five things people new to preparedness (and sometimes even those with experience) often forget as they get ready. All five are common sense notions that do not rely on doomsday in order to be useful. It may be nice to own a tank during the apocalypse but there’s not much you can do with it until things get really crazy. The recommendations below can have places in the lives of average Americans whether doomsday comes or not.
Note: The information provided by this publication or any related communications is for informational purposes only and should not be considered as financial advice. We do not provide personalized investment, financial, or legal advice.
Secured Wealth
Whether in the bank or held in a retirement account, most Americans feel that their life’s savings is relatively secure. At least they did until the last couple of years when de-banking, geopolitical turmoil, and the threat of Central Bank Digital Currencies reared their ugly heads.
It behooves Americans to diversify their holdings. If there’s a triggering event or series of events that cripple the financial systems or devalue the U.S. Dollar, wealth can evaporate quickly. To hedge against potential turmoil, many Americans are looking in two directions: Crypto and physical precious metals.
There are huge advantages to cryptocurrencies, but there are also inherent risks because “virtual” money can become challenging to spend. Add in the push by central banks and governments to regulate or even replace cryptocurrencies with their own versions they control and the risks amplify. There’s nothing wrong with cryptocurrencies today but things can change rapidly.
As for physical precious metals, many Americans pay cash to keep plenty on hand in their safe. Rolling over or transferring retirement accounts into self-directed IRAs is also a popular option, but there are caveats. It can often take weeks or even months to get the gold and silver shipped if the owner chooses to close their account. This is why Genesis Gold Group stands out. Their relationship with the depositories allows for rapid closure and shipping, often in less than 10 days from the time the account holder makes their move. This can come in handy if things appear to be heading south.
Lots of Potable Water
One of the biggest shocks that hit new preppers is understanding how much potable water they need in order to survive. Experts claim one gallon of water per person per day is necessary. Even the most conservative estimates put it at over half-a-gallon. That means that for a family of four, they’ll need around 120 gallons of water to survive for a month if the taps turn off and the stores empty out.
Being near a fresh water source, whether it’s a river, lake, or well, is a best practice among experienced preppers. It’s necessary to have a water filter as well, even if the taps are still working. Many refuse to drink tap water even when there is no emergency. Berkey was our previous favorite but they’re under attack from regulators so the Alexapure systems are solid replacements.
For those in the city or away from fresh water sources, storage is the best option. This can be challenging because proper water storage containers take up a lot of room and are difficult to move if the need arises. For “bug in” situations, having a larger container that stores hundreds or even thousands of gallons is better than stacking 1-5 gallon containers. Unfortunately, they won’t be easily transportable and they can cost a lot to install.
Water is critical. If chaos erupts and water infrastructure is compromised, having a large backup supply can be lifesaving.
Pharmaceuticals and Medical Supplies
There are multiple threats specific to the medical supply chain. With Chinese and Indian imports accounting for over 90% of pharmaceutical ingredients in the United States, deteriorating relations could make it impossible to get the medicines and antibiotics many of us need.
Stocking up many prescription medications can be hard. Doctors generally do not like to prescribe large batches of drugs even if they are shelf-stable for extended periods of time. It is a best practice to ask your doctor if they can prescribe a larger amount. Today, some are sympathetic to concerns about pharmacies running out or becoming inaccessible. Tell them your concerns. It’s worth a shot. The worst they can do is say no.
If your doctor is unwilling to help you stock up on medicines, then Jase Medical is a good alternative. Through telehealth, they can prescribe daily meds or antibiotics that are shipped to your door. As proponents of medical freedom, they empathize with those who want to have enough medical supplies on hand in case things go wrong.
Energy Sources
The vast majority of Americans are locked into the grid. This has proven to be a massive liability when the grid goes down. Unfortunately, there are no inexpensive remedies.
Those living off-grid had to either spend a lot of money or effort (or both) to get their alternative energy sources like solar set up. For those who do not want to go so far, it’s still a best practice to have backup power sources. Diesel generators and portable solar panels are the two most popular, and while they’re not inexpensive they are not out of reach of most Americans who are concerned about being without power for extended periods of time.
Natural gas is another necessity for many, but that’s far more challenging to replace. Having alternatives for heating and cooking that can be powered if gas and electric grids go down is important. Have a backup for items that require power such as manual can openers. If you’re stuck eating canned foods for a while and all you have is an electric opener, you’ll have problems.
Don’t Forget the Protein
When most think about “prepping,” they think about their food supply. More Americans are turning to gardening and homesteading as ways to produce their own food. Others are working with local farmers and ranchers to purchase directly from the sources. This is a good idea whether doomsday comes or not, but it’s particularly important if the food supply chain is broken.
Most grocery stores have about one to two weeks worth of food, as do most American households. Grocers rely heavily on truckers to receive their ongoing shipments. In a crisis, the current process can fail. It behooves Americans for multiple reasons to localize their food purchases as much as possible.
Long-term storage is another popular option. Canned foods, MREs, and freeze dried meals are selling out quickly even as prices rise. But one component that is conspicuously absent in shelf-stable food is high-quality protein. Most survival food companies offer low quality “protein buckets” or cans of meat, but they are often barely edible.
Prepper All-Naturals offers premium cuts of steak that have been cooked sous vide and freeze dried to give them a 25-year shelf life. They offer Ribeye, NY Strip, and Tenderloin among others.
Having buckets of beans and rice is a good start, but keeping a solid supply of high-quality protein isn’t just healthier. It can help a family maintain normalcy through crises.
Prepare Without Fear
With all the challenges we face as Americans today, it can be emotionally draining. Citizens are scared and there’s nothing irrational about their concerns. Being prepared and making lifestyle changes to secure necessities can go a long way toward overcoming the fears that plague us. We should hope and pray for the best but prepare for the worst. And if the worst does come, then knowing we did what we could to be ready for it will help us face those challenges with confidence.
