Hui felt a weight of responsibility as she witnessed her aging parents suffer from targeted repression linked to her activism against the Chinese government.
“It was heart-wrenching to see my aging parents suffer from this targeted repression,” Hui told me.
“I felt guilty for bringing this on them.”
Hui’s experience is emblematic of the phenomenon the FBI describes as transnational repression—an alarming strategy employed by authoritarian regimes like those in Russia, Iran, Belarus, and China.
These governments hire individuals to intimidate, harass, or spy on dissidents residing in the United States.
China’s surveillance network is known to be particularly expansive and sophisticated.
A recent investigation by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists revealed that Beijing has targeted dissidents like Hui in 23 countries in recent years.
Historically, the United States has prided itself on being a global leader in countering such forms of repression on domestic soil.
However, experts worry that this commitment is waning, particularly under President Donald Trump.
In February, the Justice Department quietly dismantled its Foreign Influence Task Force, a unit responsible for investigating harassment by foreign governments within the U.S.
Authorities claimed that resources were needed for “more pressing priorities.”
Simultaneously, the FBI’s capacity to monitor suspected foreign agents, particularly Chinese operatives, has been undermined by a renewed focus on immigration issues, as noted by The New York Times.
Glenn Tiffert, a distinguished research fellow at Stanford University’s Hoover Institution, expressed concern that these policy changes signal a lack of urgency in addressing transnational repression.
“It may make people who are acting as foreign agents even bolder,” he warned.
Moreover, President Donald Trump’s freeze on funding for the U.S. Agency for International Development has severely impacted nonprofit organizations like Freedom House.
These watchdogs, which document instances of transnational repression, have had to close most of their programs as a result.
Freedom House cautioned that the cancellation of these programs will undermine U.S. efforts to safeguard individuals from authoritarian intimidation on American soil.
Experts emphasize that the Chinese Communist government has become increasingly skilled in recruiting agents within the U.S. who can operate without attracting attention from authorities.
Chinese embassies and consulates establish “consular protection volunteer” networks, which collect information on Chinese immigrant communities in various countries, including the U.S.
Since 2016, China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has offered training for some of these volunteers.
“The Chinese government prefers the plausible deniability of recruiting people who appear to be ordinary citizens and residents,” Tiffert explained.
These recruits monitor and report back on the activities of dissidents living in the United States, and in some cases, actively harass them.
Joey Siu, a Hong Kong pro-democracy activist who sought refuge in the U.S. in 2020, has experienced this firsthand.
Since an arrest warrant was issued against her in 2023, Siu has received numerous threatening emails and social media messages.
“I tried reporting them, blocking them, but it just wouldn’t stop,” she recounted.
In Boston, a naturalized American from China, Liang Litang, faced allegations of acting as an agent for the Chinese government.
Although he was cleared of U.S. charges in February, his case raised significant concerns.
In August 2019, Hui, then a student at Emerson College, organized a rally in Boston to support efforts opposing a bill that would permit easier extradition of critics to China.
Unbeknownst to her, Liang was at the rally, where court documents later revealed he communicated with Chinese officials during the event and took photographs of participants, including Hui.
Hui said, “I didn’t even notice him at the rally.”
Liang was also under surveillance by U.S. officials.
In 2023, he was arrested on charges of being an illegal agent of the Chinese government and eventually stood trial in federal court in Boston.
Federal documents contended that Liang had acted as an agent for years, cofounding the New England Alliance for the Peaceful Unification of China.
This organization aimed to facilitate the assimilation of Taiwan into China.
According to court records, Liang organized pro-government events, met multiple times with Chinese officials, and displayed Chinese flags in Boston’s Chinatown.
Perhaps most concerning was his alleged role in collecting and transmitting photos and videos of pro-democracy activists back to Chinese officials based in New York.
Liang reportedly identified potential recruits for activities associated with political repression, as indicated in the federal indictment.
On the day of Liang’s trial verdict, he declared to reporters outside the courthouse, “I love my ancestral home, China. And I love the USA. I’m innocent.”
The U.S. attorney’s office in Boston declined to comment on the verdict, and legal experts noted the absence of a clear legal definition of “acting as a foreign agent,” complicating accountability in similar cases.
Despite the challenges, some cases have yielded convictions—one notable instance involved a Berklee School of Music student found guilty of stalking and threatening a Chinese activist.
Throughout the trial, Liang’s attorney, Derege Demissie, argued that the government merely portrayed Liang as a passionate activist whose views aligned with the Chinese government.
Demissie acknowledged that Liang had interacted with Chinese officials but maintained that he was not working for the Chinese government.
Nevertheless, Liang’s acquittal sent shockwaves through the dissident community.
In interviews, several activists expressed diminished confidence in U.S. authorities to protect them from harassment and surveillance by the Chinese government.
Che Chungchi, a 75-year-old Chinese American, admitted, “I am afraid to live in Boston,” noting that he has avoided visiting Chinatown since Liang’s acquittal.
His image had also been documented and sent to Chinese officials by Liang.
“I have to protect myself,” he stated.
While Hui expressed respect for the jury’s decision in Liang’s case, she remains apprehensive about the future of dissidents facing surveillance, harassment, and other repercussions.
She believes the prosecution of Liang was instrumental in bringing attention to the harassment faced by Chinese and Hong Kong dissidents in the U.S.
“The Chinese government thinks they could do these things to silence and break us,” Hui said.
“But they have only made me stronger.”
image source from：bostonglobe
