California campaign manager acted as political operative for China, federal prosecutors allege

A Southern California campaign manager was arrested by the FBI Thursday and charged with acting as an illegal agent of a foreign power for allegedly acting on behalf of the Chinese government to influence U.S. politics, according to federal prosecutors.

Yaoning "Mike" Sun, 64, was expected to appear in federal court later Thursday afternoon in connection with the charge accusing him of conspiring with John Chen, 71, who was sentenced to 20 months in prison last month for acting as an agent of the People's Republic of China (PRC). An affidavit in the case alleges Sun and Chen — who has also been identified by prosecutors as Chen Jun — worked together to get a city councilmember in Southern California elected to office in 2022.

Sun, a resident of Chino Hills who once served in the Chinese army, allegedly kept in communication with Chen about the efforts to get that unnamed politician elected, according to federal prosecutors. Chen spoke with Chinese government officials about how the PRC could influence politicians in the U.S., with Chinese-Taiwanese relations at the center of those discussions. 

In early 2023, a few months after the politician in California was elected, Chen told Sun to write a report for PRC officials describing their efforts in assisting the successful election, according to prosecutors. To help their efforts, Sun allegedly proposed that the Chinese government provide an $80,000 budget.

Chen told Sun to schedule a meeting with the Chinese consul general in Los Angeles, according to federal prosecutors, and the pair made a visit to China together in August 2023.

"The conduct alleged in this complaint is deeply concerning – the defendant is charged with acting on behalf of the People's Republic of China to influence our political system," U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California Martin Estrada said in a statement announcing Sun's arrest Thursday. "We cannot permit hostile foreign powers to meddle in the governance of our country."

Chinese-Taiwanese tensions stem from the Taiwanese independence movement and have grown in recent months following the election earlier this year of Lai Chingte as president of Taiwan, who is regarded by the Chinese Community Party as a "separatist," according to report last month from the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission. 

In Southern California, the Taiwanese community maintains strong political relations, according to the Taiwanese American Conference, which describes Los Angeles as "the birthplace of many iconic Taiwanese-American associations."

U.S. policy has supported Taiwan's efforts to stop Beijing from taking control by force, according to the federal government's Congressional Research Service. Earlier this month, the U.S. Department of Defense released a report stating the Chinese government continues to obtain a growing number of nuclear warheads and support U.S. adversaries such as Russia.

The recent report from the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission says the Chinese Community Party has expanded measures "for intimidating Taiwan," such as by heightening its military presence around the archipelago, issuing new guidelines for punishing "separatists" and increasing harassment of Taiwan travelers to mainland China.

The affidavit detailing the allegations against Sun and Chen includes an image from a Youtube video, which prosecutors say shows Chen with a megaphone at a pro-Taiwan protest in Los Angeles, telling protesters: "If you have a Chinese passport, and I take your photo now, you will be arrested when you return to China. If you hold a U.S. passport, you won't be able to obtain a Chinese visa." 

In outlining the allegations involving Sun, the affidavit states Chen once wrote to a Chinese government official: "Mr. Sun has been my helping hand in the Chinese community since 1997." The following day, Chen told that same official he will support the politician in Southern California to do their "job as Chinese American elected official well, go against Taiwanese independence..."

In another instance, Chen critiqued a report drafted by Sun and told him to add information about the pair's "past struggle fighting Taiwanese independence forces" over the years in a city in California, the affidavit states. In a later message, according to the court filings, Chen instructed Sun to come up with a list of mainstream U.S. politicians who the California politician knows.

He allegedly told Sun in an audio message, "the more the better, the higher position the better," of the list of politicians, and said that it would be "very effective" in elevating the California politician's "status in China." 

Chen was sentenced to prison last month after pleading guilty to federal charges of acting as an unregistered agent of the People's Republic of China and bribing an IRS agent. 

Southern California has been the site of Chinese-Taiwanese tensions, with a fatal shooting inside a Taiwanese Presbyterian church in Laguna Woods two years ago described by Orange County Sheriff Don Barnes as appearing to be a "politically motivated hate incident," according to the Los Angeles Times. The suspected gunman later faced dozens of federal hate crime charges.