On Monday, federal prosecutors announced the arrest of two New York residents by the FBI, on suspicion of running a "secret police station" in Manhattan's Chinatown on behalf of Beijing. The charges were part of a broader case involving 44 other individuals who were charged with targeting and intimidating Chinese dissidents in the United States. The accused, Lu Jianwang and Chen Jinping, both US citizens, were charged with conspiring to act as agents of the Chinese government without notifying US authorities, as well as obstructing justice by destroying evidence of communications with a Chinese Ministry of Public Security (MPS) official. According to the criminal complaint, Lu and Chen lead a non-profit organization whose stated mission is to provide a social gathering place for people from China's Fujian province. The charges against the defendants are part of a growing trend of Chinese espionage and influence operations in the United States.
