How a suspected Chinese spy gained access to California politics

A suspected Chinese language intelligence operative developed in depth ties with native and nationwide politicians, together with a U.S. congressman, in what U.S. officers imagine was a political intelligence operation run by China’s principal civilian spy company between 2011 and 2015, Axios present in a yearlong investigation.

Why it issues: The alleged operation gives a uncommon window into how Beijing has tried to realize entry to and affect U.S. political circles.

• Whereas this suspected operative’s actions seem to have ended through the Obama administration, issues about Beijing’s affect operations have spanned President Trump’s time in workplace and can proceed to be a core focus for U.S. counterintelligence through the Biden administration.

The lady on the heart of the operation, a Chinese language nationwide named Fang Fang or Christine Fang, focused up-and-coming native politicians within the Bay Space and throughout the nation who had the potential to make it massive on the nationwide stage.

• Via marketing campaign fundraising, in depth networking, private charisma, and romantic or sexual relationships with at the very least two Midwestern mayors, Fang was in a position to acquire proximity to political energy, in keeping with present and former U.S. intelligence officers and one former elected official.
• Regardless that U.S. officers don’t imagine Fang acquired or handed on categorized data, the case “was a giant deal, as a result of there have been some actually, actually delicate those who have been caught up” within the intelligence community, a present senior U.S. intelligence official mentioned.
• Personal however unclassified details about authorities officers — comparable to their habits, preferences, schedules, social networks, and even rumors about them — is a type of political intelligence. Amassing such data is a key a part of what international intelligence businesses do.

Among the many most vital targets of Fang’s efforts was Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.).

• Fang took half in fundraising exercise for Swalwell’s 2014 re-election marketing campaign, in keeping with a Bay Space political operative and a present U.S. intelligence official. Swalwell’s workplace was immediately conscious of those actions on its behalf, the political operative mentioned. That very same political operative, who witnessed Fang fundraising on Swalwell’s behalf, discovered no proof of unlawful contributions.
• Federal Election Fee information don’t point out Fang herself made donations, that are prohibited from international nationals.
• Fang helped place at the very least one intern in Swalwell’s workplace, in keeping with those self same two folks, and interacted with Swalwell at a number of occasions over the course of a number of years.

A press release from Swalwell’s workplace supplied to Axios mentioned: “Rep. Swalwell, way back, supplied details about this individual — whom he met greater than eight years in the past, and whom he hasn’t seen in almost six years — to the FBI. To guard data that is perhaps categorized, he won’t take part in your story.”

What occurred: Amid a widening counterintelligence probe, federal investigators turned so alarmed by Fang’s conduct and actions that round 2015 they alerted Swalwell to their issues — giving him what is called a defensive briefing.

• Swalwell instantly reduce off all ties to Fang, in keeping with a present U.S. intelligence official, and he has not been accused of any wrongdoing.
• Fang left the nation unexpectedly in mid-2015 amid the investigation. She didn’t reply to a number of makes an attempt by Axios to achieve her by e-mail and Fb.

Between the strains: The case demonstrates China’s technique of cultivating relationships which will take years and even a long time to bear fruit. The Chinese language Communist Get together is aware of that right now’s mayors and metropolis council members are tomorrow’s governors and members of Congress.

• Within the years for the reason that Fang probe, the FBI has prioritized investigations into Chinese language affect operations, making a unit in Could 2019 inside the bureau solely devoted to countering Beijing’s actions on the state and native ranges. U.S. nationwide safety officers imagine the risk posed by China has solely grown with time.
• “She was simply certainly one of a lot of brokers,” mentioned a present senior U.S. intelligence official.
• Beijing “is engaged in a extremely refined malign international affect marketing campaign,” FBI director Chris Wray mentioned in a July 2020 speech. These efforts contain “subversive, undeclared, prison, or coercive makes an attempt to sway our authorities’s insurance policies, distort our nation’s public discourse, and undermine confidence in our democratic processes and values,” Wray mentioned.

The FBI declined to remark. The Chinese language Embassy in Washington didn’t reply to a request for remark.

Particulars: Axios spoke with 4 present and former U.S. intelligence officers concerning the case over a interval of greater than a 12 months. They requested anonymity as a result of they weren’t licensed to talk to the media concerning the case.

• Axios additionally spoke with 22 present and former elected officers, political operatives, and former college students who knew Fang personally when she was primarily based in america.

The quilt: How Fang labored

Fang’s pals and acquaintances mentioned she was in her late 20s or early 30s when she was primarily based within the U.S. and was enrolled as a pupil at a Bay Space college.

She used political gatherings, civic society conferences, marketing campaign rallies, and campus occasions to attach with elected officers and different outstanding figures, in keeping with U.S. intelligence officers, Bay Space political operatives, former college students, and present and former elected officers who knew her.

• U.S. intelligence officers believed she was overseeing seemingly unwitting subagents whom she helped place in native political and congressional workplaces.
• Fang attended regional conferences for U.S. mayors, which allowed her to develop her community of politicians throughout the nation.
• She additionally engaged in sexual or romantic relationships with at the very least two mayors of Midwestern cities over a interval of about three years, in keeping with one U.S. intelligence official and one former elected official.
• At the least two separate sexual interactions with elected officers, together with certainly one of these Midwestern mayors, have been caught on FBI digital surveillance of Fang, in keeping with two intelligence officers. Axios was unable to establish or communicate to the elected officers.

Between 2011 and 2015, Fang’s actions introduced her into contact with lots of the Bay Space’s most outstanding politicos.

• She volunteered for Ro Khanna’s unsuccessful 2014 Home bid, in keeping with a former campus organizer and social media posts. (Khanna, a Democrat, was elected to the Home in 2016.) Khanna’s workplace mentioned he remembers seeing Fang at a number of Indian American political gatherings however didn’t have additional contact along with her. Khanna’s workplace mentioned the FBI didn’t transient him on her actions. Khanna’s 2014 marketing campaign employees mentioned that Fang’s identify doesn’t seem of their employees information, although they mentioned that their information don’t embrace all volunteers.

• Fang helped with a fundraiser for Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hawaii) in 2013, in keeping with a flyer from the occasion Fang shared on Fb. She appeared in photographs over a number of years with a number of California politicians, together with Khanna, Swalwell, Rep. Judy Chu (D-Calif.) and then-Rep. Mike Honda (D-Calif.).
• Gabbard “has no recollection of ever assembly or speaking along with her, nor any recollection of her enjoying a serious function on the fundraiser,” a spokesperson mentioned in an e-mail to Axios.
• Fremont Metropolis Councilmember Raj Salwan, whose identify seems on the flyer, informed Axios he was unaware of Fang’s function within the occasion and her identify was added to the flyer by different Asian American leaders.
• Chu’s workplace mentioned they don’t have any information of Christine Fang. Honda mentioned he had no reminiscence of assembly Fang.

The underside line: U.S. officers imagine Fang’s actual cause for being in the united stateswas to collect political intelligence and to affect rising U.S. officers on China-related points.

• Shut relationships between a U.S. elected official and a covert Chinese language intelligence operative can present the Chinese language authorities with alternatives to sway the opinion of key decision-makers.
• Beijing might intention to affect international coverage points immediately associated to China, or points nearer to house, comparable to partnering with Chinese language firms for native funding — a difficulty significantly salient amongst local-level officers comparable to mayors and metropolis council members.

Sounding the alarm: The U.S. response

U.S. counterintelligence officers mentioned they imagine Fang acted on the route of China’s Ministry of State Safety (MSS), the nation’s principal civilian spy company.

• U.S. officers first observed Fang by means of surveillance they have been conducting on a distinct individual — a suspected MSS officer working undercover as a diplomat within the San Francisco consulate, a present U.S. counterintelligence official mentioned.
• The suspected officer used the consulate as a base to do outreach to state and local-level U.S. politicians, together with inviting them on journeys to China, the official mentioned.
• The official added that each Fang and the suspected officer have been targeted on gathering political intelligence and conducting affect operations within the Bay Space. (Axios corroborated by means of U.S. State Division information {that a} Chinese language diplomat with the identical identify because the suspected MSS officer was stationed in San Francisco through the interval Fang was there.)
• Fang and the suspected officer met or spoke on quite a few events, main U.S. officers to look into Fang’s personal background and actions, the official mentioned.
• Nevertheless, Fang’s principal intelligence handlers have been believed to be primarily based in China, in keeping with two U.S. officers.

Fang was put beneath FBI surveillance, 4 present and former U.S. officers mentioned. The FBI’s San Francisco Division led a counterintelligence investigation into Fang’s actions, in keeping with one present and one former U.S. intelligence official.

• “The truth that she was touring across the nation” getting near U.S. politicians “was a giant purple flag,” mentioned one of many officers. “She was on a mission.”

What occurred subsequent: Senior U.S. intelligence officers supplied a number of defensive briefings round 2015 to warn focused native and nationwide politicians about Fang’s connections to Chinese language intelligence and potential Chinese language belongings of their workplaces, certainly one of these officers mentioned.

• U.S. intelligence officers additionally supplied a number of briefings to White Home officers and members of Congress on the case, a present senior official mentioned.
• Invoice Harrison, the mayor of Fremont, California, at the moment, mentioned he knew Fang as a result of she volunteered in his workplace and took part in quite a few native political and neighborhood occasions. Harrison informed Axios that in August 2015 he was contacted by FBI officers who warned him about Fang’s suspected actions within the Bay Space.
• Bureau officers mentioned Fang’s actions have been a part of a “lengthy recreation play” concentrating on native politicians, Harrison recalled. The FBI informed him the Chinese language authorities’s technique is “to strike up a relationship with you and see when you transfer up the road,” Harrison mentioned.

The way it ended: Fang left the U.S. abruptly

U.S. officers mentioned China’s intelligence operation broke up in mid-2015 when Fang left the U.S. amid the FBI-led probe.

• Fang had deliberate to journey to Washington, D.C., to attend a June 2015 occasion.
• However shortly beforehand, she mentioned she may now not attend as a result of she unexpectedly wanted to return to China, in keeping with an acquaintance from California on the identical journey, who spoke with Axios.

A lot of Fang’s political contacts within the Bay Space have been shocked and confused about her sudden departure from the nation.

• “When she left form of abruptly, all of us form of scratched our heads,” recalled Harrison, the previous Fremont mayor. (The FBI reached out to Harrison after Fang’s departure.)
• “She disappeared off the face of every thing,” remembered Gilbert Wong, the previous mayor of Cupertino, California, who had seen Fang steadily at political occasions.
• However within the months surrounding her departure, rumors swirled in Bay Space political circles that the FBI was investigating her, in keeping with 4 native organizers, political operatives, and elected officers who knew her.

Fang has not returned to the U.S., mentioned intelligence officers and her former political acquaintances. She seems to have largely reduce off contact along with her U.S.-based pals and the networks she spent years constructing in California.

The Justice Division has filed no public expenses towards Fang.

Why Beijing targets California’s Bay Space

The Bay Space gives preferrred circumstances for a international intelligence operative aiming to establish and goal formidable native politicians with nationwide aspirations.

The massive image: A few of America’s strongest politicians bought their begin in Bay Space politics, and China acknowledges California’s significance. The MSS has a unit devoted solely to political intelligence and affect operations in California.

• Silicon Valley can also be the world’s most necessary heart for the know-how trade, making it a hotbed for Chinese language financial espionage. Russian intelligence has additionally lengthy focused the Bay Space.
• California’s economic system is the most important of all of the U.S. states, giving California state lawmakers vital affect over nationwide tendencies.

Democrats dominate the Bay Space, from mayors to its quite a few U.S. congressional districts, and anybody looking for proximity to energy must be of their political circles.

Context: The FBI’s in depth surveillance of left-wing political teams within the Nineteen Sixties and Seventies has created a lingering mistrust of the bureau that also exists right now in Bay Space politics.

The Bay Space has one of many largest and oldest Chinese language American communities within the nation. Preserving tabs on Chinese language diaspora communities is a prime precedence of China’s intelligence companies, U.S. officers mentioned.

• China’s spy companies wish to affect these communities to turn out to be extra predisposed to the regime, in addition to surveil and stamp out potential organized opposition to the Communist Get together.
• Entry to native political workplaces may give Beijing’s intelligence operatives alternatives to gather data on communities of Chinese language descent in america.
• A high-profile instance of this occurred within the 2000s, when China’s Ministry of State Safety allegedly recruited a San Francisco-based staffer in Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s workplace. This individual, who was fired when the FBI alerted Feinstein to his actions, was answerable for liaising with the native Chinese language neighborhood.

What’s at stake: Chinese language Individuals discover themselves in a troublesome place in 2020, being squeezed each by affect campaigns from the Chinese language authorities and an increase in anti-Chinese language racism in america.

• “We wish to struggle towards racism, we wish to name it out,” Wong, the previous mayor of Cupertino, informed Axios. “But when there’s a spy, we undoubtedly help full prosecution and we don’t help China penetrating the Chinese language neighborhood.”
• “How can we handle this difficulty with out infringing on Chinese language American rights?” he added.
• Khanna mentioned in an announcement: “I respect the necessity for legislation enforcement to guard our nation from espionage. [But] we’d like strict guardrails to verify the FBI’s investigations would not have collateral harm to the privateness of Americans or to the legitimacy of Asian Individuals on this nation.” He underscored his concern about “the chilling impact” of overbroad surveillance on Chinese language American political participation.

How Fang rose to prominence amongst Bay Space politicos

In 2011, Fang enrolled as a pupil at California State College East Bay, the place she served because the president of the varsity’s Chinese language Pupil Affiliation and president of the campus chapter of Asian Pacific Islander American Public Affairs (APAPA), a nationwide group that encourages Asian Individuals to become involved in civic affairs.

• She used these positions as her preliminary platform to realize entry to political circles. She steadily invited political figures, enterprise executives, and Chinese language consular officers to attend the flurry of high-profile occasions she organized over a interval of a number of years, in keeping with present and former native officers, former college students, Bay Space politicos, and social media exercise.
• Fang’s first recognized contact with quite a few politicians, together with Swalwell, Harrison, Chu, and then-candidate Khanna was by means of her function as president of those organizations.
• Fang acquired a campus satisfaction award for the work she did on behalf of the Chinese language Pupil Affiliation through the 2012–2013 educational 12 months.

Throughout this time, Fang maintained unusually shut ties to the Chinese language consulate in San Francisco.

• It is common for Chinese language pupil affiliation presidents to speak steadily with Chinese language consular officers.
• However Fang’s relationship to the San Francisco consulate was particularly shut, in keeping with social media posts, occasion flyers, images, and one present U.S. intelligence official.

As Fang branched out into off-campus politics, she relied closely on her APAPA affiliation. A lot of Fang’s actions have been “beneath the auspices of APAPA,” mentioned one Bay Space political operative, an commentary echoed by 5 different Bay Space political figures and activists.

• Henry Yin, who’s president of the APAPA Bay Space area chapter, informed Axios in a cellphone name that he had seen Fang at quite a few occasions and remembered her as being “very lively.”
• APAPA is “not concerned with international nations,” mentioned Yin, including that the group tries “to make connections with involved residents for the betterment of Asian and Pacific Islanders, and likewise profit all residents at giant.”

Fang quickly turned a mainstay at Bay Space political occasions, fundraising for candidates and bringing alongside donors.

• “She was all over the place,” mentioned Raj Salwan, a present Fremont Metropolis councilmember, expressing a sentiment echoed by a number of different present and former native officers who spoke to Axios. “She was an lively pupil. I used to be shocked at how lively she was and the way she knew so many politicos.”

Fang’s Fb pals checklist is a digital who’s who of native Bay Space politicos, and consists of metropolis council members, present and former mayors, Khanna, and Swalwell’s father and brother.

• She positioned herself “to be the connector between the Asian American neighborhood and members of Congress,” recalled a Bay Space political operative who knew her.
• One picture, taken at a March 2014 occasion on the Chinese language Embassy in D.C., exhibits Fang along with Honda and Ash Kalra — on the time a San Jose metropolis councilmember, later elected to the California State Meeting in 2016. A consultant of Kalra’s workplace mentioned he doesn’t bear in mind assembly Fang.
• Fang attended occasions in help of former San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee, in keeping with an acquaintance current on the gatherings. (Lee, who started serving as mayor in 2011, handed away in 2017 whereas in workplace.)

What they’re saying: A number of acquaintances in political circles informed Axios that Fang was “charismatic” and “effectively preferred” — although others described her conduct as “secretive” and even “suspicious.”

• “Christine was a political participant and she or he was somebody who was good to know,” mentioned a former campus political organizer who knew her.
• However others discovered her much less substantive. “She by no means actually, to me, was on the coverage facet,” recalled the Bay Space political operative.

Few appeared to know Fang on a private stage. A number of acquaintances informed Axios she appeared to come back from wealth — she drove a white Mercedes, in keeping with one official — however mentioned she by no means spoke about her household or her hometown.

Fang’s connection to Swalwell

Fang’s ties to Rep. Eric Swalwell, which started when he was a councilmember for Dublin Metropolis, California, exhibit China’s lengthy recreation.

• Swalwell rose to prominence quickly, and in late 2012 turned one of many youngest members of the U.S. Home.
• In January 2015, Swalwell was assigned a seat on the Home Everlasting Choose Committee on Intelligence, serving because the lead Democrat on the subcommittee on CIA oversight.

Particulars: Fang’s earliest recognized engagement with Swalwell occurred by means of the Chinese language Pupil Affiliation. By 2014, she had risen in native political circles and developed shut ties to Swalwell’s workplace.

• Fang “was a bundler” for Swalwell and different candidates, in keeping with a Bay Space political operative with direct data of her efforts. A present U.S. intelligence official confirmed her exercise for Swalwell; a neighborhood elected official additionally mentioned she introduced in donors for different candidates. Bundlers persuade others to write down checks for campaigns; they’ll usher in substantial sums of cash in addition to deepen the marketing campaign’s engagement with goal communities, making bundlers a worthwhile and thus probably influential ally to a candidate.
• The Bay Space political operative who witnessed Fang fundraising on Swalwell’s behalf was involved whether or not donors she introduced in have been legally permitted to donate. They discovered no proof of unlawful contributions.
• Fang facilitated the potential project of interns into Swalwell’s workplaces, the political operative mentioned. In at the very least one case, an intern really useful by Fang was positioned into Swalwell’s D.C. workplace, this individual mentioned. A present U.S. intelligence official confirmed the intern placement.

For Fang, concentrating on Swalwell made sense. His 2012 marketing campaign — which was one thing of a longshot bid, pitting a younger and comparatively inexperienced metropolis official towards a longtime incumbent from the identical occasion — relied closely on Asian American help, mentioned a former congressional staffer from the East Bay.

• That made Swalwell’s ties to the Chinese language American neighborhood, and significantly APAPA, the Asian American civic group, particularly necessary.

Fang sought out mayors across the U.S.

Fang attended conferences for mayors across the U.S., in keeping with three U.S. intelligence officers, in addition to quite a few present and former politicians who knew her.

Why it issues: By attending conferences for native officers, Fang went to extraordinary lengths to fulfill and befriend U.S. politicians, ostensibly as a part of her actions as a Chinese language agent, U.S. officers imagine.

Particulars: Fang engaged in sexual or romantic relationships with at the very least two mayors of Midwestern cities, mentioned one U.S. intelligence official and one former elected official.

• At a 2014 convention in Washington, an older Midwestern mayor “from an obscure metropolis” referred to Fang as his “girlfriend” and insisted the connection was real regardless of the clear age distinction between Fang and himself, in keeping with former Cupertino Mayor Gilbert Wong, who was immediately current for the dialog.
• Fang additionally had a sexual encounter with an Ohio mayor in a automotive that was beneath digital FBI surveillance, mentioned one present U.S. official. When the mayor requested why Fang was involved in him, Fang informed him she wished to enhance her English, the identical official mentioned.

What they’re saying: Wong informed Axios he knew Fang from her political actions in California, the place she would attend fundraisers and Chinese language cultural occasions.

• However Wong mentioned he was “shocked” to see her seem at an occasion for U.S. municipal officers hosted by the Chinese language Embassy in D.C. in March 2014. Wong informed Axios he had gone to D.C. twice that 12 months to attend mayor-focused occasions, and that he noticed Fang at each of these occasions.
• On the Chinese language Embassy occasion, Fang launched Wong to the mayor of Shenzhen, a metropolis that, like Cupertino, is house to a serious tech trade. She translated in order that the 2 mayors may have a dialog.

The underside line

U.S. intelligence officers imagine China’s spy companies have turn out to be extra aggressive and emboldened, together with of their U.S.-focused affect and political intelligence-gathering operations. Fang’s case exhibits how a single decided particular person, allegedly working for Beijing, can acquire entry to delicate U.S. political circles.

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