Los Angeles (AP) – In 2024 voters in the Southern California city of Arcadia elected the first all‑Asian city council in the city’s history. Now, one of those politicians has pleaded guilty to being an illegal agent of the Chinese government. Former Arcadia Mayor Eileen Wang’s plea, entered in federal court Friday, continues a saga that some residents worry could bring unfair scrutiny on the broader Chinese and Asian American community.
Arcadia has seen rapid demographic change in the last two decades as immigrants from China, Taiwan and Hong Kong moved into the San Gabriel Valley east of Los Angeles. After Wang’s case was made public on May 11, the news made national headlines and filled the suburban city with anger, disappointment and murmurs of quiet concern. On social media, fears about spies and Chinese Communist Party influence abounded.
We cannot allow this moment to become an excuse for people to paint entire communities with one brush or weaponize ethnicity for political gain, acting Mayor Paul Cheng said in a statement.
Shock in a heavily Chinese community
Wang agreed in April to plead guilty to doing the bidding of Chinese officials by sharing articles favorable of Beijing on a news website she ran, without notifying the U.S. government as required by law.
The 56‑year‑old was elected in November 2022 to a five‑person City Council, from which the mayor is selected on a rotating basis. She was born in Chengdu, China, and immigrated to the U.S. in 1995.
The San Gabriel Valley hosts the largest concentration of residents of Chinese and Taiwanese descent in the United States. Beginning in the 1970s, real‑estate developers marketed the region as Chinese Beverly Hills to woo affluent immigrants. As the population grew, it became a haven for newer immigrants who could live without needing English, access business opportunities and avoid putting their children through China’s intensely competitive education system. Arcadia’s population of about 53,000 is majority Asian.
Ted Tseng, 52, arrived in Arcadia from Taiwan nearly 40 years ago with his parents, who emigrated because they feared potential conflict between Taiwan and China.
Tseng worried Wang’s indictment would deepen animosity against Asian Americans and discredit their contributions to the region. He cited fears of anti‑Asian racism, although hate crimes have declined since the COVID‑19 pandemic. I’m just worried our image has been damaged, Tseng said.
Federal crack‑down on Chinese espionage
The U.S. Department of Justice has intensified efforts to combat Chinese espionage. In April, a man accused of running a secret Chinese spy outpost in Manhattan’s Chinatown was convicted of acting as an illegal foreign agent.
Wang claimed she was misled by her former fiancé, Yaoning Mike Sun, who pleaded guilty to the same charge last year and is now serving a four‑year prison sentence. Sun was the treasurer for Wang’s 2022 election campaign.
Wang’s lawyers pointed to her “trust and love for [the] wrong person who ultimately led her astray.”
Former City Council member April Verlato said Wang should have stepped down upon investigation. She was being selfish, getting sworn in as mayor and not resigning when she knew she was going to be pleading guilty to something, Verlato said.
Lawyer Gene Sun agreed, questioning how Wang could remain on the council. “I don’t understand how she could have continued being a City Council member,” he said.
Beijing seeks influence overseas
Professor Wei Li of Arizona State University noted that governments with will and means will try to influence their diaspora. An FBI complaint shows Sun was in contact with John Chen, who pleaded guilty to being an illegal agent of the Chinese government and discussed influencing U.S. politicians.
Sun and Chen described Wang as a New Political Star and bragged about her contacts. They targeted anti‑China forces such as Taiwan independence and the Falun Gong.
In a January 2023 message, Chen told Wang, You are doing a good job, I hope you can continue the good work and make Chinese people proud.
Fear of political repercussions for Asian Americans
Public reaction was painful. At a May 19 City Council meeting, some residents blamed remaining council members for enabling Wang and demanded their resignations. Cheng, who was born in Taiwan at age two, said, I’ve been called more names, told to go back to China even though that’s not where I’m from.
For many Arcadia residents, life resumed as usual the day after the news broke. Aliza Mo, who emigrated from China six years ago for her children’s education, initially thought headlines were exaggerated. When she learned what Wang pleaded guilty to, she said it would be improper for anyone to do that.
