Assistant Attorney General Matthew Olsen recently revealed three instances of the People's Republic of China (PRC) spying on American citizens, according to a U.S. Department of Justice release.
U.S. Olympic figure skater Alysa Liu and her father, Arthur Liu, were targeted by the PRC's spying operation, possibly because Mr. Liu fled China after the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre, or because Alysa posted on Instagram about China's human rights violations against Uyghurs, ESPN reports. Alysa was practicing for the Beijing Winter Olympics last fall when her father got a call from the FBI, informing him about the spying operation, according to an Associated Press report on ESPN.
"These cases expose attempts by the government of the People’s Republic of China to suppress dissenting voices within the United States," Olsen said at a March 16 press conference. "They demonstrate how the PRC seeks to stalk, intimidate and silence those who oppose it."
Olsen was clear about the scope of these operations.
"I want to reiterate that the department remains focused on the actions of the PRC government and its agents – not the Chinese people or those of Chinese descent, who are often the victims of these crimes," Olsen said.
He also spoke about the potential negative impacts of China's actions.
"Authoritarian states around the world feel emboldened to reach beyond their borders to intimidate or exact reprisals against individuals who dare to speak out against oppression and corruption," Olsen said.
Olsen considers the United States the target of these actions.
"For the Justice Department, defending American institutions and values against these threats is a national security imperative," Olsen said. "Transnational repression is part of the range of tactics our adversaries employ to try to undermine our democracy, our economy and our institutions. And it is a threat not only to people in the United States, but also to people around the world who seek to exercise their basic rights to freedom of expression and to stand up to authoritarianism."
Mr. Liu had his own thoughts on the matter, as ESPN reported.
"I've kind of accepted my life to be like this because of what I chose to do in 1989, to speak up against the government," he said. "And I know the Chinese government will extend their long hands into any corner in the world. I'm going to continue to enjoy life and live life as I want to live. I'm not going to let this push me down, and I'm not going to let them succeed."
In November, Mr. Liu was contacted by someone pretending to be a member of the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee, who wanted his and his daughter's passport numbers, which he declined, ESPN reports. Matthew Ziburis was later arrested on charges of spying on the Liu family, according to ESPN. Ziburis was charged with conspiring to commit interstate harassment and criminal use of a means of identification.
AP News reported that five men were recently charged in relation to China's spying operation.
"The cases underscore what American officials describe as increasingly aggressive efforts by the Chinese government — sometimes involving the use of hired private investigators — to seek out, silence and threaten pro-democracy activists abroad," according to AP News.
