Introduction

On Monday, May 11th, Eileen Wang, the mayor of Arcadia, California, was charged in federal court with acting as an “illegal agent of the People’s Republic of China” by the Justice Department. Wang agreed to plead guilty to the charge, which comes with a maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison. 

This charge is a major development in Chinese espionage against American institutions and governmental entities, with Wang allegedly coordinating with Chinese officials to spread propaganda promoting the PRC government in numerous ways. This included denying the systematic persecution of Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang and setting up news sources for Chinese-Americans where Wang posted other content promoting the Chinese Communist Party. 

However, many questions remain unanswered in the broader sense of Chinese espionage in the United States. What is Wang’s backstory and political career? Have there been other cases where Chinese agents have entered the U.S. and infiltrated its institutions? Let’s find out. 

Who is Wang?

Eileen Wang is a first-generation Chinese immigrant who was born in Chengdu, China, in the late 1960s, according to sources from the Los Angeles Times. 

Wang moved to Arcadia in the early 2000s, and immediately began involving herself in various community organizations, including the Arcadia Lions Club, a community service organization, and the Arcadia Association of Realtors. 

In 2022, she shifted to politics, running for the Arcadia city council, and received the endorsements of several Asian-American politicians, including from federal representative Judy Chu. In her campaign, Wang relied heavily on grassroots fundraising and canvassing to win the election.

Then-councilmember Eileen Wang at the Arcadia City Hall. Source: The Los Angeles Times

After being elected to the City Hall, Wang rose through the ranks, eventually serving as the vice mayor of Arcadia before officially being sworn in as mayor in February 2026, succeeding Mayor Sharon Kwan. 

What Did Wang Do?

Wang’s charges are heavily related to several actions she, along with a man called Yaoming “Mike” Sun, did to influence the LA area’s Chinese diaspora in favor of the interests of the Chinese government. 

According to federal prosecutors, Wang helped run a website called U.S. News Center, which featured articles directly pasted from contacts with the Chinese government to target the large Chinese-Americans. Using an encrypted WeChat group as a way to communicate, the PRC sent essays, claims, and reports that were manipulated to serve Beijing’s interests to Wang. 

Examples of messaging groups in WeChat. WeChat has been accused of having heavy ties with the Chinese government, with the latter using the app to spread propaganda and suppress dissent online. 

For example, in June 2021, a PRC official sent Wang an essay stating that there is “no genocide in Xinjiang” and calling these “rumors” that “defame[d] China.” Minutes later, Wang posted the article on U.S. News Center. The PRC official responded: “So fast, thank you everyone.” 

Are There Similar Incidents Across the U.S.?

It is believed by certain experts that Wang’s case is but an incident in a string of cases where the Chinese government seeks to expand its influence in the United States, both through espionage and by promoting narratives that benefit Beijing.

A provincial office of the Ministry of State Security, China’s primary intelligence agency. Source: Vmenkov

Specifically, there has been a trend in recent years in which China seeks to recruit lower-level governmental officials in the United States to covertly conduct operations in the country, both on the regional and national level.

For example, Politico reported in 2018 that a San Francisco-based staffer for former Senator Dianne Feinstein was allegedly contacted and recruited by Chinese intelligence to give reports on local politics. Several years later, in 2024, federal prosecutors charged a former high-ranking New York state government employee with acting as an “undisclosed agent of the Chinese government” due to attempts to launder money and commit fraud.  

This shows that the efforts of China to spread its influence worldwide are not only limited to leveraging its economic growth and strong military – the growing intelligence and espionage of the Chinese government are also becoming threats to the United States, both in the halls of Congress and the rooms of local councils.