Ex-official’s wife testifies in US trial over China’s Operation Fox Hunt

A former Chinese official and his wife, who had relocated to the United States and kept their address private, experienced a disturbing encounter when two strangers attempted to enter their New Jersey home.

The wife later discovered a threatening note on their doorstep, stating that if her husband returned to China and served ten years in prison, their family would be safe. The incident is part of a criminal trial involving three men who are accused of acting as illegal agents for China, targeting the couple as part of Beijing’s repatriation initiative called Operation Fox Hunt.

The wife, Liu Fang, testified in a Brooklyn federal court, stating that their lives had been turned upside down due to the intimidation and pressure from the Chinese government. The defendants and others allegedly subjected the couple, their adult daughter, and various relatives to a series of intimidating actions at Beijing’s behest.

The men on trial include two Chinese expatriates, Zheng Congying and Zhu Yong, and an American police sergeant turned private investigator, Michael McMahon. They are charged with acting as illegal agents for China. Their lawyers argue that the three believed they were assisting in debt collection or performing other tasks for private entities, not the Chinese government.

China’s Operation Fox Hunt aims to pursue and repatriate nationals that Beijing considers fugitives, including individuals who hold political or cultural views that conflict with the ruling Communist Party. Since China and the US have no extradition treaty, Beijing cannot legally force suspects to return, and the Chinese government has denied issuing threats to coerce individuals into “voluntarily” returning.

The former official, Xu Jin, and his wife left China in 2010. Chinese officials subsequently issued international alerts claiming that Xu was wanted for embezzlement and bribe-taking, while his wife was accused of accepting bribes. Liu told the court that her husband was targeted for being upright and believing in justice, while she was targeted simply for being his wife.

According to prosecutors and Liu’s testimony, the pressure campaign for Xu’s return included spreading damaging articles about the couple to their adult daughter’s Facebook friends, sending letters in relatives’ names to Liu’s sister in New Jersey, and forcibly flying in Xu’s father in 2017 to persuade his son to return to China.

Defence attorneys argue that the men on trial had no knowledge of China’s alleged involvement, as they were given various explanations for their actions. The defence also questioned the couple’s source of income in the US and suggested that Liu was testifying to receive assistance with investor visa approval for her family. Liu denied being promised any immigration help and stated that her testimony was solely to reveal the truth about what happened to her and her family.