Mayor of Californian city Eileen Wang resigns over Chinese agent charge
BBC • • general
Key Points:
- Eileen Wang, mayor of Arcadia, California, resigned after being charged by the US Department of Justice with acting as an illegal agent of China and agreed to plead guilty to a felony count.
- Wang faces up to 10 years in prison and is accused of following directions from Chinese officials, including sharing pro-Beijing articles without notifying the US government.
- She was elected to the Arcadia City Council in November 2022 and served as mayor on a rotating basis; the city confirmed no municipal resources or decision-making were involved in the alleged conduct.
- Wang operated the US News Center website alongside Yaoning "Mike" Sun, which the DoJ says was used to disseminate Chinese government-influenced content to Chinese Americans in Arcadia.
- Arcadia city officials expressed concern over foreign influence but emphasized the charges relate to Wang's individual actions prior to and shortly after taking office.