US charges 8 with involvement in China’s ‘Operation Fox Hunt’, saying suspects are targeting dissidents
- Justice department contends those charged are part of an illegal espionage operation to crack down on dissenters now living in US
- China’s foreign ministry says the US should support a crackdown on cross-border crimes
Five people, including three Chinese nationals, were arrested in the United States on Wednesday for their alleged involvement in an illegal scheme to force a US resident to return to China to face prosecution.
Three other individuals also face charges in the case, but remain at large. US law enforcement officials believe they have returned to China.
Department of Justice officials said they believed those arrested were part of China’s “Operation Fox Hunt”, ostensibly an anti-corruption effort to track down fugitives overseas. US officials have said Beijing has used the programme to target dissidents and critics of Chinese President Xi Jinping.
“With today’s charges, we have turned the PRC’s Operation Fox Hunt on its head – the hunters became the hunted, the pursuers the pursued,” John Demers, the assistant attorney general for national security, said in a virtual news briefing. He was accompanied by FBI director Christopher Wray.
01:11
US charges 8 as Chinese agents, accusing them of targeting dissidents in America
“For those charged in China and others engaged in this type of conduct, our message is clear: stay out, this behaviour is not welcome here,” Demers said.