American citizen pleads guilty for running 'secret police station' in US

An American citizen has pleaded guilty of running the first "known" secret police station on behalf of the Chinese government in the US. 

According to prosecutors, Chen Jinping and his co-defendent Lu Jianwang opened and operated the secret outpost in Manhattan's Chinatown neighbourhood in early 2022 on behalf of China's Ministry of Public Security (MPS), according to BBC. 

Reportedly, China has at least 100 such stations in 53 countries with right groups accusing Beijing of using these stations to "threaten" and "monitor" Chinese nationals abroad. 

China has denied these allegations saying that they are “service stations” assisting nationals overseas with administration services.

Federal authorities revealed that the outpost occupying an entire floor above a ramen stall did assist Chinese nationals with driver licences renewing but it also aided Beijing in identifying pro-democracy activists living in the US.

The station was immediately closed in 2022’s autumn after the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) launched an investigation; however, prosecutors said that Chen and Lu destroyed text messages they exchanged with an official of the MPS and were arrested in April 2023.

Chen has pleaded guilty of acting as an agent for China and faces up to five years in prison when he is sentenced next year.

As for Lu, he has not pleaded guilty and awaits trial. He is accused of harassing a Chinese fugitive to return to China and also, on behalf of the Communist Party, he helped locate a pro-democracy activist in California.