Tag: china

Founder of NYC Pro-Democracy Group Pleads Guilty to Spying for China

A Chinese man living in New York City has pleaded guilty to spying on his fellow activists on behalf of the Chinese regime’s intelligence agency, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York announced on Sept. 16.

Tang Yuanjun, 68, a naturalized U.S. citizen, was a prominent figure in New York City’s Chinese dissident community, having participated in protests outside the Chinese Consulate in the New York City borough of Manhattan and founded a pro-democracy group, the Chinese Democracy Party Eastern U.S. Headquarters Inc., based in the Flushing neighborhood of the borough of Queens.

Despite his public advocacy against Beijing, Tang was secretly working under the direction of the Chinese intelligence service to collect information on his fellow Chinese American dissidents, according to a guilty plea entered on Sept. 16.

As part of the plea, Tang admitted to one count of conspiring to act as an agent of a foreign government without notifying the attorney general, which is punishable by up to five years in prison.

“For years, Yuanjun Tang abused the trust he had gained among pro-democracy activists in New York City and around the United States by secretly accepting tasks from Chinese intelligence officers and reporting on persons of interest to the [People’s Republic of China] and events conducted in support of democracy,” U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton said in a statement.

“Tang’s covert operations violated our nation’s sovereignty and threatened the security of New Yorkers exercising their fundamental rights to free speech and free association. Tang’s plea … illustrates our profound commitment to protecting American ideals from malign foreign influence.”

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Australian cyber warfare expert makes a chilling claim about Chinese EVs that every driver should read

China could detonate or disable electric vehicles sold in Australia, a top cybersecurity expert has warned. 

Alastair MacGibbon, former cybersecurity adviser to then-Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, sounded the alarm at the Financial Review’s Cyber Summit on Tuesday.

He depicted Australia’s policy towards Chinese EV’s as a security failure, adding the situation was so dire public officials ought to be banned from riding in them. 

‘The last decision of the National Security Committee of the Turnbull government was to take high-risk vendors out of 5G networks,’ he said. 

‘Fast-forward seven years and… potentially millions of [the Internet of Things] or connected devices – not made in China, but controlled by China – are all through our systems.

‘Those cars that we talk about, whether they’re electric or not, are listening devices, and they’re surveillance devices in terms of cameras.’

Mr MacGibbon, who now serves as the chief strategy officer at CyberCX, said the risks went beyond just EV’s to smart devices made or controlled in China.

‘Let’s talk potential scenarios, take off the safety features of household batteries so that they overcharge. Take off those same safety features for electric vehicles,’ he said. 

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Did China just shoot down a UFO with a missile? Bright flash over Shandong deepens the mystery after authorities deny knowledge

A fireball-like luminous event was reported over eastern China on September 12, 2025. Witnesses in Weifang and Rizhao, Shandong Province, observed a bright aerial object followed by a strong flash, with videos of the incident quickly spreading across Chinese social media platforms.

According to The Watchers, several posts and local headlines described the event as a possible intercept or shoot-down, suggesting a second rising light was visible before the flash. The claims fueled speculation online of a potential military action. An X user, ‘jacksonhinklle,’ also posted the video.

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US Official Warns Of New Deadly Synthetic Opioid From China

U.S. authorities are warning of a new synthetic opioid from China that can be up to 50 times more potent than fentanyl.

Nitazenes pose an emerging threat as they are more resistant to naloxone, a medication that can reverse opioid overdoses. They are often mixed with other drugs and delivered in the form of counterfeit pills mimicking drugs such as Xanax or Percocet, according to authorities.

Frank Tarentino, who heads the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) New York Division, said that the presence of nitazenes coming from China has been increasingly prevalent on the illicit drug scene.

“Here in the United States, we have found it in heroin, methamphetamine, in some cases fentanyl, and more alarmingly, we have now seen it pressed into pills,” he said in a Sept. 10 interview with NTD, The Epoch Times’ sister media outlet.

“What we have seen is that these cartels, these transnational criminal organizations that are operating on a global scale, are intentionally lacing their drugs with fentanyl and now nitazenes to increase the high, to increase the addiction, to make more money.”

Tarantino said that traffickers are selling counterfeit prescription drugs such as oxycodone on the streets, online, or on social media. He warned that the only safe place to buy prescription drugs is through a legitimate pharmacy.

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NASA Bans Chinese Nationals From Working on Agency Programs

NASA has barred Chinese nationals holding U.S. visas from its facilities and networks, the latest move by Washington to safeguard the space agency as its space race with Beijing intensifies.

Chinese nationals, who until now could work at NASA as contractors or contribute to its research, were informed on Sept. 5 that their access to the agency’s systems and facilities had been revoked. Bloomberg first reported that many suddenly found themselves locked out of NASA data systems and excluded from both in-person and virtual meetings related to their work.

NASA press secretary Bethany Stevens confirmed the decision, stating that the agency had taken “internal action pertaining to Chinese nationals—including restricting physical and cybersecurity access to our facilities, materials, and network to ensure the security of our work.”

The move comes amid heightened scrutiny of Chinese nationals working in sensitive U.S. technology sectors, as in recent years, a growing number of individuals have been accused of conducting espionage on behalf of the Chinese communist regime. In August, the Department of War—then called the Department of Defense—ordered Microsoft to stop using China-based engineers to support the military agency’s cloud computing systems.

It remains unclear if a specific incident triggered NASA’s action. In response to a request for comment, the agency’s press office referred The Epoch Times to a post on X featuring acting administrator Sean Duffy’s appearance on Fox Business.

In that interview, Duffy said the United States must lead what he described as a “second space race,” warning that the Chinese regime is not advancing its lunar agenda “with good intentions.”

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SpaceX Starlink satellite photobombs orbital view of secret Chinese air base

One of SpaceX’s broadband-beaming Starlink satellites has been captured overflying a top-secret airbase in China that was photographed by a private American Earth-observation satellite.

The unexpected satellite alignment above Dingxin Airbase in the Gobi Desert of western China took place on Aug. 21 and created a range of unusual effects in the high-resolution image. Dingxin Airbase, which provided a backdrop for the orbital encounter, is one of the most secretive military locations in China, known for conducting complex fighter jet drills and bomber exercises, and supporting development of new military drones.

The visible-light photo, taken by one of Maxar Technologies’ WorldView Legion satellites orbiting at an altitude of 312 miles (518 kilometers), shows what appears to be a fleet of fighter jets resting on the ramp adjacent to the runway surrounded by brown, arid soil. In the upper-left corner of the image, a ghostly oblong shadow appears in the picture with a silver-colored middle section and two darker-colored arms stretching to the sides.

The photobomber is a satellite — specifically, one of SpaceX‘s Starlink internet satellites, which Maxar identified as spacecraft number 33828. The mirror effect comes from a trio of rainbow-colored reflections of the satellite, which enliven the drab desert surface below.

Susanne Hake, Maxar’s general manager for U.S. government, who posted the image on LinkedIn, described the colorful reflections as a “pan-sharpening spectral artifact,” caused by the extremely high speeds — around 5 miles (8 kilometers) per second — at which the two satellites passed each other.

“Essentially, our imaging system was merging high-resolution black & white data with color data while the Starlink zipped past at orbital velocity,” Hake wrote in the post. “Physics turned a technical imaging challenge into accidental art.”

Hake added that, although the orbital encounter underscores how crowded near-Earth space has become, the incident was more of a spectacular rarity than a concern for safety or image quality.

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HHS Calls on US to Cut Ties With China’s Organ Transplant System

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has called on the United States to sever ties with China’s transplantation system over ongoing concerns about organ sourcing.

“In China, forced organ harvesting of prisoners has continued for over 20 years. To affirm the sanctity of human life, America must sever its ties with China’s organ transplant system,” the department wrote in a post on X, pointing to an article published in The Baltimore Sun titled “America’s complicity in China’s organ harvesting.”

The HHS in July uncovered issues with a federally funded organization and identified more than 100 cases in the United States in which organ procurement occurred when patients showed signs of life or had no cardiac time marked down.

The “domestic scandal” is nonetheless “no isolated incident,” reads the commentary article, which points to the decades-long program of forced organ harvesting in China targeting prisoners of conscience.

In 2019, the independent China Tribunal concluded beyond a reasonable doubt that forced organ harvesting had taken place in China on a large scale, and practitioners of the spiritual discipline Falun Gong were the primary source. In its final report, issued in 2020, the tribunal said it believed the Chinese regime continued to harvest organs from unwilling prisoners of conscience, as there was no evidence that the abuses had stopped.

Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, is a spiritual discipline based on the principles of truthfulness, compassion, and tolerance. Its practitioners have been persecuted by the Chinese communist regime since 1999.

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Their Fathers’ Organs Were Stolen in China: The Xi–Putin Hot Mic Opens Fresh Wounds

Grief and shock hit 19-year-old Han Yu at once as she walked into a room filled with police.

Center in the throngs lay the lifeless body of her father, who had been in perfect health two months before the Chinese authorities threw him into jail.

Even with makeup, traces of suffering were evident. There was tissue missing from under his left eye and bruises around his chin. Black stitches led downward from his throat.

The police yelled and pushed Han out when the teen tried to unbutton her father’s clothes and check how big the incision was.

A few other relatives managed to lift his shirt up and saw that the cut went all the way to the abdomen. They pressed down on his stomach. There were no organs. It was all ice.

What did they do with the organs?

Fast forward 21 years, and the sense of horror recurred when she saw the hot mic moment of Chinese leader Xi Jinping musing with Russian President Vladimir Putin about continual, multiple transplants leading to longevity.

“Earlier, people rarely lived to 70, but these days at 70 you are still a child,” Xi said through a translator in Russian at a massive military parade in Beijing commemorating World War II on Sept. 3.

Putin replied through his interpreter in Mandarin: “As biotechnology advances, human organs can be continuously transplanted, allowing us to become younger and younger, perhaps even achieve immortality.”

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Ex-FBI official’s leaks expose ties to high-profile investigations

A disgraced FBI veteran’s betrayal has rocked the bureau’s credibility. Charles McGonigal, once a top counterintelligence official, leaked sensitive details about a probe into a Chinese firm tied to Hunter Biden’s business ventures, as Just the News reports. His fall from grace exposes a tangled web of high-stakes investigations.

McGonigal’s leaks centered on CEFC, a Chinese conglomerate linked to Hunter Biden, while he oversaw major FBI cases from Chinese espionage to Trump-Russia probes. From 2010 to 2012, he led a hunt for a Chinese mole that saw over a dozen CIA sources vanish or die. Yet, he himself fed information to a China-linked associate, casting doubt on his loyalty.

In 2010, McGonigal investigated a CIA mole, later pinpointing Jerry Chun Shing Lee as a suspect. Lee, caught with classified notes, conspired with Chinese intelligence but wasn’t arrested until 2018, despite the FBI’s chance to nab him earlier. The delay raises questions about the bureau’s judgment under McGonigal’s watch.

Mole hunt, leaky ship

McGonigal’s role in the mole hunt was critical, yet he leaked details about CEFC to a figure tied to Albanian and Chinese interests. “A veteran FBI counterintelligence agent, Charles McGonigal, was assigned to run it,” the New York Times noted, but his own leaks to China-linked targets mock that legacy. The hypocrisy stinks of double standards.

By 2016, McGonigal was section chief at FBI headquarters, overseeing cyber-counterintelligence. Promoted by James Comey to lead New York’s counterintelligence division, he juggled probes into Huawei, WikiLeaks, and terrorist attacks like TWA Flight 800. His résumé, though glittering, now looks like a roadmap of compromised trust.

McGonigal’s fingerprints were on the Trump-Russia probe, Crossfire Hurricane, which branded Trump a Russian asset. He received early tips from Alexander Downer about Russian “dirt” on Clinton, sparking the investigation. Yet, his own leaks to foreign players suggest the FBI’s moralizing was a selective charade.

Crossfire Hurricane’s tainted roots

“I’m sure you will be glad once Tuesday has come and gone,” McGonigal texted agent Peter Strzok before the 2016 election, hinting at political bias. The FBI’s briefing to Clinton’s campaign in 2015 was a cozy heads-up about Turkish influence, while Trump’s 2016 briefing doubled as a fishing expedition. Lindsey Graham called it a “clear double standard” in 2020, and McGonigal’s role fuels the skepticism.

McGonigal’s defense lawyer, Seth DuCharme, praised his “extraordinary service” in sentencing memos, conveniently ignoring his client’s Chinese mole hunt or Crossfire ties. DuCharme’s selective storytelling sidesteps the inconvenient truth: McGonigal’s leaks undermine his heroic narrative. The omission reeks of spin.

In 2017, McGonigal fretted over leaks about a FISA warrant on Trump aide Carter Page, texting, “It will create a real issue for us if it is made public.” The irony is rich — McGonigal, the leaker, feared leaks. His actions suggest the FBI’s internal rot ran deeper than suspected.

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Censorship Concerns Surge As China Yanks Video Of Xi–Putin Organ Transplant Discussion

China’s state-owned broadcaster has rescinded international wire agency access to a hot mic video of Chinese and Russian leaders discussing longevity and organ transplants, an effort that shows the Chinese regime’s fear of attention on the topic, critics say.

The open mic exchange between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping took place in Beijing on Sept. 3, as the two leaders walked together ahead of a military parade commemorating World War II.

Xi at the parade told Putin that “these days at 70 you are still a child,” prompting Putin to remark that continued organ transplants could allow one to live younger and even reach immortality. Xi in response said that it is predicted that there’s a chance of humans living to 150 years old.

The conversation became global news and sparked discussions about the Chinese regime’s state-sanctioned forced organ harvesting, a taboo topic in China. CCTV has since taken down the livestream video that captured the exchange and removed the moment from replays.

CCTV also sent a letter through its lawyer to Reuters—which licensed the video through CCTV and edited it into a four-minute clip—requesting the news agency to remove the footage on the grounds that the clips Reuters published exceeded the agreed-upon scope.

CCTV lawyer He Danning claimed Reuters’ “editorial treatment applied to this material has resulted in a clear misrepresentation of the facts and statements contained within the licensed feed.”

Reuters withdrew the video and issued a “kill” notice to its clients on Sept. 5. The agency said it had earlier distributed the clip to more than 1,000 media clients around the world, including major international news broadcasters and TV stations.

In a statement, Reuters said it was removing the content because it no longer has the legal permission to publish this copyrighted material.

“We stand by the accuracy of what we published. We have carefully reviewed the published footage, and we have found no reason to believe Reuters longstanding commitment to accurate, unbiased journalism has been compromised,” Reuters stated.

According to the London-based China Tribunal, forced organ harvesting has taken place in China for years “on a significant scale,” and practitioners of the Falun Gong spiritual group are the primary victims. It said that persecuted religious minorities including Uyghurs are also potential targets. Since 1999, millions of Falun Gong practitioners have been incarcerated in prisons, labor camps, and other facilities, with hundreds of thousands tortured and untold numbers persecuted to death, according to the Falun Dafa Information Center.

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