A Democratic mayor in a Southern California city is facing pressure to resign after her former fiancé was sentenced to four years in federal prison for acting as an illegal agent of communist China.
Yaoning “Mike” Sun, a Chinese national and U.S. green card holder from Chino Hills, California, received a jail sentence in early February after pleading guilty last year to one count of acting as an unregistered agent of a foreign government. From at least 2022 to early 2024, he knowingly carried out directives from Chinese officials without notifying the U.S. government.
Sun’s activities included surveilling groups that the Chinese Communist Party considers threats, such as Falun Gong (a spiritual practice banned in China) practitioners and advocates for the independence of Taiwan, Tibet, or Xinjiang. Additionally, Sun produced and disseminated pro-CCP propaganda through a purported news website targeting the local Chinese American group in the greater Los Angeles area.
A notable instance occurred during Taiwan’s then-President Tsai Ing-wen’s visit to Southern California in 2023, when Sun monitored her movements in real time, photographed supporters and opponents, and reported the intelligence to officials at the Chinese Consulate in Los Angeles.
Another Chinese national John Chen (also known as Chen Jun) served as an intermediary between Sun and the Chinese government. In February 2023, at Chen’s direction, Sun submitted a report of his accomplishments to Chinese officials, boasting of his success in cultivating a “new political star” in Southern California to advance pro-China policies. He even requested $80,000 to further his efforts.
That “political star” was Eileen Wang, a Democratic politician who immigrated from China more than three decades ago. Sun served as her campaign consultant, treasurer, and adviser during her successful 2022 run for the Arcadia City Council. The two were engaged at the time. The Los Angeles Times revealed that some campaign donations Sun facilitated to Wang came from individuals linked to the Chinese government, with at least one donor registered as a foreign agent.
In December 2022, shortly after her election, Wang publicly called Sun her fiancé and praised his pivotal role in her election victory during a recorded city council meeting.
