China has been banned from New York City after a former aide to state governors Kathy Hochul and Andrew Cuomo was accused of acting as a Chinese spy.
Hochul confirmed the action against the Consulate General of the People’s Republic of China in New York on Wednesday. CNN information.
Consul General Huang Ping, who figured prominently in the spying allegations, was seen hastily leaving the building on Wednesday. The New York Post information.
“I have conveyed my wish that the general counsel of the People’s Republic of China and the New York mission be expelled, and I have been informed that the general counsel is no longer with the New York mission,” Hochul said.
This comes after her former deputy chief of staff and former Cuomo aide Linda Sun was charged with spying.
China’s consul general in New York has been expelled after Linda Sun (pictured), a former aide to state governors Kathy Hochul and Andrew Cuomo, was accused of acting as a Chinese spy.
Sun was dramatically arrested Tuesday along with her husband following a dawn raid on their $4 million Long Island mansion.
Sun and her husband Christopher Hu are accused of earning millions in bribes from the Chinese Communist Party, helping fund a lavish lifestyle that included a $2 million Hawaii condo and a 2024 Ferrari.
Sun is also alleged to have used his influence to promote China’s geopolitical agenda by banning meetings with Taiwanese officials and diverting messages from criticizing Beijing’s persecution of Uighur Muslims.
She and her husband pleaded not guilty to all charges on Tuesday. Her bail was set at $1.5 million, while Hu’s is $500,000.
Hochul said she has been assisting the Justice Department with its investigation for months and will continue to work alongside them.
She criticized Sun’s actions as an “absolute betrayal of the trust of two administrations in state government,” which she said included forging his signature on documents.
Hochul also stressed that she remains confident in the vetting process, saying Sun had no real influence over her policies as a “mid-level aide.”
Governor Kathy Hochul on Wednesday confirmed the action against the Chinese consul general in New York (pictured)
Sun and her businessman husband Christopher Hu, left, are also accused of laundering millions of dollars through their alleged spying to fund a lavish lifestyle.
Prosecutors say Sun secretly worked to promote CCP interests in New York, particularly regarding Taiwan, which the CCP considers part of China. She is accused of blocking representatives of the Taiwanese government and even attending a protest against the Taiwanese president in New York in 2018.
In 2020, Sun texted a Chinese official, saying, “I almost had a heart attack when we referred to Taiwan as a country. Fortunately, the press team corrected it immediately.”
Sun worked in state government for nearly 15 years, first in 2009 as chief of staff to New York State Assembly member Grace Meng, who is now a member of Congress.
She then held positions in former Governor Andrew Cuomo’s administration beginning in 2012, including as New York’s Global Trade Manager, Director of Asian Outreach for the Governor’s Office, and Queens Regional Representative.
In 2018, the Cuomo administration appointed Sun as its chief diversity officer.
In September 2021, she was named deputy chief of staff to Hochul, according to her LinkedIn profile. She remained in the role for about 15 months.
The couple’s five-bedroom, $4 mansion in Manhasset, New York, was raided by the FBI on Tuesday morning.
Hochul announced Wednesday that she would expel China from New York, calling Sun’s actions an “absolute betrayal.”
In January 2019, Sun wrote to a CCP official: ‘I value my relationship with the consulate very much and have done many things to make the relationship between the state and the consulate flourish during my tenure with (politician redacted).’
“Of course I have succeeded in cutting all relations between TECO (Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office) and the State. I have refused all requests from your office.”
Sun allegedly used the proceeds from his illegal work to purchase the Manhasset home, as well as a $2.1 million condo in Hawaii and luxury vehicles, including a 2024 Ferrari.
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