Chinese mayor in California to be tried for running illegal propaganda for XI

Ashutosh Kumar May 14, 2026 (Last updated: May 14, 2026) 2 minutes read

Crediit : Tibetan Review

Eileen Wang, the ethnic Chinese mayor of Arcadia, a prosperous suburb in Los Angeles, California, resigned on May 11 after agreeing to plead guilty to acting as an illegal agent for China, according to a May 11 report from Reuters, citing the US Department of Justice. The 58-year-old mayor is expected to plead guilty in federal court in Los Angeles soon.

Wang admitted to working as an unregistered agent for the Chinese government from late 2020 to 2022. The Department of Justice stated that she failed to disclose her foreign affiliations while promoting pro-China propaganda.

She operated a website called the US News Center, which claimed to provide news for Chinese Americans but instead published content supporting the Chinese government. Wang ran the site alongside her former fiancé, Yaoning “Mike” Sun, a Californian man who was sentenced to four years in prison in October 2025 for his role in acting as an illegal agent for China.

Wang faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison. Her attorneys, Brian A Sun and Jason Liang, stated that she regrets her actions and wishes to apologize for the personal mistakes she made. However, they emphasized that her actions related solely to her personal life, including the media platform she operated with Sun, not her conduct as an elected official.

The US Assistant Attorney General for National Security, John A. Eisenberg, expressed concern over Wang’s actions, stating, “Public officials must act solely in the interests of the people they represent.” He added that it was troubling that someone who had acted under directives from Chinese officials was in a public trust position without disclosing this connection.

Wang was elected to the Arcadia City Council in November 2022. The council, a five-member governing body, selects the mayor on a rotating basis. Born in China, Wang moved to Southern California three decades ago, attracted by the area’s excellent schools and opportunities for her two sons.