When they brought him his passport, Jeff Harper thought he was getting out. He stared at the document, its navy cover embossed with the United States seal, as it gradually dawned on him that the Chinese police officer, in his… Read More ›
Crime & Corruption
FBI warns state, local police about China targeting people on U.S. soil
The FBI is warning local law-enforcement agencies to beware of cooperating with a Chinese government campaign to coerce U.S. residents to return to China to face criminal charges, according to a counterintelligence bulletin obtained by Yahoo News. The bulletin comes… Read More ›
Eight charged in alleged Chinese plot to coerce family to return from US
Eight people have been charged with conspiring to work on behalf of China’s government in a plot to coerce a Chinese family in the US to return to their home country to face charges. Five of the individuals charged, including… Read More ›
Jailed Huawei workers raised a forbidden subject: Iran
China arrested five former employees who had discussed the tech giant’s Iranian sales in a chat group, raising questions about its government ties The five men were all locked in disputes with their onetime employer, the Chinese technology giant Huawei…. Read More ›
Abuse allegations in China spark calls to raise age of consent from 14
The alleged sexual assault of a teenager by a prominent lawyer and oil executive in China has sparked calls for the government to do more to address the sexual abuse of children and women, including raising the age of consent… Read More ›
China’s outrageous threats to the Wall Street Journal
Facing Chinese threats to disrupt the Wall Street Journal’s operations, the Trump administration should warn that it will retaliate against any Chinese action directed toward the publication. The Chinese Communist Party is upset over Walter Russell Mead’s recent Wall Street… Read More ›
American universities are a soft target for China’s spies, say U.S. intelligence officials
It was a brazen scheme to steal another company’s product, according to a federal criminal complaint. University of Texas professor Bo Mao, prosecutors say, took proprietary technology from an American Silicon Valley start-up and handed it over to a subsidiary… Read More ›
It’s high time China halted counterfeit capers
The Trump White House has said lots about fake news these past three years. Now it’s going after fake products — counterfeit goods, usually from China — that pretend to be high-priced originals. I started investigating these knockoff goods nearly… Read More ›
Former Interpol president sentenced to prison in China for corruption
The former president of Interpol has been sentenced to more than a decade in prison. Meng Hongwei, the first Chinese national to assume the presidency of the France-based international law enforcement organization, received his 13 1/2-year sentence for corruption Tuesday… Read More ›
China is seeking to ‘take over’ Australia’s political system, former Australian spy chief claims
The retired Asio chief Duncan Lewis has reportedly warned that the Chinese government is seeking to use “insidious” foreign interference operations to “take over” Australia’s political system. Anyone in office could be a target and the strategy’s full impact might… Read More ›
Pro-Beijing lawmaker stabbed while campaigning in Hong Kong
An anti-government assailant stabbed and wounded a pro-Beijing Hong Kong lawmaker who was election campaigning Wednesday, police said, in another escalation of violence surrounding the protests demanding political reforms in the semi-autonomous Chinese territory. Junius Ho has become a hated… Read More ›
UK police say 39 people discovered dead in cargo truck in England were Chinese
Police were given more time on Thursday to question a driver arrested on suspicion of murder after 39 people, believed to be Chinese nationals, were found dead in a refrigerated truck near London, with the investigation focusing on human trafficking…. Read More ›
Suspect in murder case that led to Hong Kong’s protests leaves prison
A murder suspect whose case indirectly led to Hong Kong’s ongoing protests was freed from prison on Wednesday and told reporters he was willing to surrender to authorities in Taiwan, where he is wanted for the killing of his girlfriend…. Read More ›
Hesitant hitmen jailed over botched assassination in China
A group of hitmen have been jailed after repeatedly trying to subcontract a job to each other in Guangxi, China. Businessman Tan Youhui hired a hitman to “take out” his competitor for $282,000 (£218,000), a court heard. But the hitman… Read More ›
Escaped prisoner found living in cave in China after 17 years on the run
This guy went from inmate to hermit. An escaped prisoner who had been on the run from police in China for 17 years was finally tracked down by authorities — living in a tiny cave in the mountains, according to… Read More ›
‘No need’ for lengthy border exam of China’s Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou before her arrest in Canada says defence
The defence team for a Huawei executive whose arrest at Vancouver’s airport sparked a diplomatic crisis between Canada and China says there was no good reason for border officials to detain her for almost three hours before her arrest. Scott… Read More ›
‘Birth tourism’ scheme shows Chinese nationals how to bypass immigration and give birth in the US
A Chinese woman could face up to 15 years in jail for running a “birth tourism” scheme where she helped coach other Chinese women on how to trick immigration in order to give birth in the United States. Dongyuan Li,… Read More ›
Australia concluded China was behind hack on parliament, political parties
Australian intelligence determined China was responsible for a cyber-attack on its national parliament and three largest political parties before the general election in May, five people with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters Australia’s cyber intelligence agency – the… Read More ›
China refutes Trump’s claim it’s the source of fentanyl in the U.S.
China said Tuesday that it’s not the source of the fentanyl that’s killing Americans, contrary to U.S. President Donald Trump’s recent tweets blaming China for the drug deaths. At a briefing for the National Narcotics Control Commission, China reiterated that… Read More ›
How China uses LinkedIn to recruit spies abroad
Western intelligence officials say Chinese agents are contacting thousands of foreign citizens using LinkedIn, including former government officials. One former senior foreign policy official in the Obama administration received messages from someone on LinkedIn offering to fly him to China… Read More ›
Arrests of foreign teachers in China have increased dramatically
Reports from China say arrests of foreign teachers across the country are up sharply this year. That information comes from lawyers, schools and teachers. They also report a jump in foreign teachers forced to leave the country. Chinese deportations of… Read More ›
China uses ‘death threat diplomacy’ against expats to force other countries to submit
The cases are piling up. Canadian Robert Schellenberg faces execution on drug charges after an unusually abrupt, accelerated and public retrial this week in a Chinese court. Two Canadians, Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor, are being held by China for… Read More ›
Parallels between the Ming dynasty and Xi Jinping’s “anti-corruption campaign”
Of all the civilisations of premodern times, none appeared more advanced, none felt more superior, than that of China. Its considerable population, 100-130 million compared with Europe’s 50-55 million in the fifteenth century; it’s remarkable culture; it’s exceedingly fertile and… Read More ›
Should Australia treat China as friend or foe?
On Saturday, on the front page of The Australian, there was an article declaring that Australia’s spy agency had identified 10 local and state political candidates with ties to Chinese intelligence, part of China’s plans to interfere in Australian democracy…. Read More ›
China clears convicted killer 21 years after his execution
A Chinese man has had his conviction for rape and murder overturned, 21 years after he was executed. Nie Shubin was killed by firing squad in 1995 at the age of 20 after being found guilty of killing a woman… Read More ›
Chinese spy posing as interpreter tried to board carriage carrying Queen Elizabeth II
A Chinese ‘spy’ tried to get into the Queen’s carriage with her during last year’s state visit. Lucy D’Orsi, who was in charge of security for President Xi Jinping’s visit in October, was filmed by the Monarch’s official cameraman saying:… Read More ›
China already violating U.S. cyberagreement
Chinese hacking attempts on American corporate intellectual property have occurred with regularity over the past three weeks, suggesting that China almost immediately began violating its newly minted cyberagreement with the United States, according to a newly published analysis by a… Read More ›
China has arrested hackers at the request of the US
The Chinese government took unprecedented action by complying with a U.S. request and arresting hackers suspected of stealing secrets from U.S. companies to pass to Chinese state-run companies, the Washington Post reported on Friday. The arrests came in September before… Read More ›
China to grant rare prisoner amnesties for war anniversary
China plans to grant prisoner amnesties to mark this year’s commemorations of the 70th anniversary of the end of World War Two, only the eighth time this has happened since the Communists took power in 1949, state news agency Xinhua… Read More ›
Charged with graft in China, some fugitives are finding luxury in U.S.
Even before his name appeared on the “most wanted” list, holes had emerged in the immigrant success story of Wei Chen. His business partner sued him last year, alleging that nearly $50 million was missing from their development project in… Read More ›
Mexican drug cartels have infiltrated Hong Kong
The brutal narcotics turf wars that consumed Mexico for the past decade have left more than 100,000 people dead or missing. Bodies are frequently dismembered. Victims are often hanged from bridges. Decapitation is common. Behind the violence and barbarity are… Read More ›
China aims at long term elimination of corruption by legislation
The recent development of Xi Jinping’s anti-corruption storm is the investigation of fourteen People’s Liberation Army (PLA) generals including Major General Guo Zhenggang, the son of Guo Boxiong, who retired as vice chairman of the powerful Central Military Commission (CMC) in… Read More ›
Corrupt officials planning to assassinate China’s president
President Xi Jinping of China and his top graft-buster Wang Qishan may be targeted by assassination attempts from corrupt officials who have been allegedly buying high-powered sniper rifles from the United States, reports Boxun News, a US-based citizen journalism outlet… Read More ›
China’s contradictory war against corruption
China needs to put the law above the needs of the Communist party. For many foreign observers, the key issues facing China are the management of the economy and the direction of foreign policy. Inside China itself, however, the central… Read More ›
China executes businessman Liu Han, linked to former security tsar
Chinese authorities on Monday executed a former mining tycoon connected to the eldest son of retired domestic security chief Zhou Yongkang, himself the focus of a high-profile corruption investigation, state media reported. The High People’s Court in the central province… Read More ›
Why America won’t help China with its ‘corruption crackdown’
China has solicited the help of foreign governments in tracking down and seizing the assets of corrupt Chinese officials, but the extent to which each country can help may be limited by their respective laws. In July 2013, China began… Read More ›
How China is ripping off iconic designs and flogging them for a fraction of the price
British brands such as Jaguar Range Rover and Mulberry are copied. Cheaper versions of the luxury products are sold en masse in China. Complex patent laws make it near impossible for companies to take action. At first glance, it looks… Read More ›
Philippines convicts Chinese poachers despite Beijing’s warnings
A Philippine court on Monday found nine Chinese fishermen guilty of poaching and environmental crimes for fishing in disputed waters, in a case that has strained relations with China. The nine, arrested in May, were fined $100,000 each for poaching… Read More ›
China claims corrupt officials have nowhere in the world to flee
China’s official government news agency Xinhua claims China has arrested 288 fugitives suspected of committing economic crimes as part of an aggressive anti-corruption effort aimed at individuals who have fled abroad, the official government news agency Xinhua said. The campaign,… Read More ›
China: Little officials, giant corruption
In its report “China anti-graft watchdog finds gold, cash in official’s home” on Friday, Reuters says that according to Chinese state media, China’s anti-graft watchdog has discovered 37 kg (82 lbs) of gold, documents for 68 houses and 120 million… Read More ›
Can China eliminate inveterate corruption after so many centuries?
Zhao Kuangying (927-976), the founding emperor of the Song Dynasty (960-1279) , ordered all the succeeding emperors to promise by oath to respect intellectuals. As a result, Song emperors themselves received good education and were fond of intellectuals. However, they… Read More ›
Australia set to help China seize assets of corrupt Chinese officials
Australian police have agreed to assist China in the extradition and seizure of assets of corrupt Chinese officials who have fled with hundreds of millions of dollars in illicit funds, the Sydney Morning Herald newspaper reported on Monday. The joint… Read More ›
China: Rich man walks free after killing a pretty girl in a joke
According to Guangdong popular daily Xinkuaibao, a rich owner of two property companies, He Feng, 35, is fond of playing jokes on people. Judging by the report, he is certainly rich enough to enjoy such pranks. Perhaps due to his… Read More ›
Philippines gives long jail terms to 12 Chinese fishermen for fishing illegally in South China Sea
A court in the Philippines has given long jail sentences to 12 Chinese fishermen for fishing illegally in the South China Sea. It is the latest incident likely to raise tensions between Manila and Beijing, which have competing claims in… Read More ›
Inside Xi Jinping’s purge of China’s oil mandarins
Oil executive Jiang Jiemin rose to power in Communist China in time-honored fashion: by hitching his star to a mighty mentor. In Jiang’s case, that patron was another oil man, Zhou Yongkang, who went on to become the chief of… Read More ›
Buying a job in China’s army costs $16,000 for those that fail entry tests
The calls started months ago to the recruitment office in the eastern Chinese province of Jiangxi, asking how much it would cost to pass this year’s tests to join the army. The going rate, depending on your “guanxi,” or connections:… Read More ›
China: Billionaire Liu Han sentenced to death for organised crime
Hubei’s Xianning City Intermediate People’s Court gave the death penalty to Sichuan tycoons Liu Han and Liu Wei and three of their accomplices for organised crimes. Liu was the leader of a mafia-style organisation, of which 36 members have been… Read More ›
Malaysia Airlines staff assaulted, held hostage for 10 hrs by angry relatives in China
Tensions between grieving Chinese families in Beijing and Malaysian Airlines staff boiled over this week when airline staff were held inside a hotel for 10 hours by angry family members and a security officer was allegedly assaulted. Malaysian Airlines released… Read More ›
China’s Xi Jinping purging select corrupt officials to put own men in place
Chinese President Xi Jinping plans to use a purge of senior officials suspected of corruption to put his own men and reform-minded bureaucrats into key positions across the Communist Party, the government and the military, sources said. Xi hopes that… Read More ›
China offers no hard evidence that Uighurs committed Kunming “terrorist” attack
Within minutes of the deadly stabbing attack at Kunming Rail Station in southwest China, the Chinese government were blaming Muslim separatists from the country’s northwest province of Xinjiang, but are yet to provide hard evidence for the claim. Police said… Read More ›
