A sign for the Department of Justice is seen ahead of a news conference with Michael Sherwin, acting US attorney for the District of Columbia, and Steven D'Antuono, head of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Washington field office, at the US Department of Justice in Washington, DC, on January 12, 2021. SARAH SILBIGER/POOL/AFP via Getty Images
John Chen, one of two Chinese agents recently indicted by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), has a military background and a close relationship with the United Front Work Department (UFWD), a secret spy organization under the Chinese communist regime.
John Chen—whose Chinese name is Chen Jun—and Lin Feng were arrested by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) on May 26. They were directly charged for allegedly being involved in a CCP-directed multinational bribery scheme.
According to the DOJ’s indictment, 70-year-old Chen is a naturalized U.S. citizen. In the IRS bribery case, Chen explicitly stated that he was acting as an agent of the CCP to help the communist regime “topple” Falun Gong by bribing U.S. public officials. Falun Gong is a peaceful spiritual practice focused on improving physical and mental health and has millions of followers worldwide.
The DOJ’s indictment referred to Chen’s claim that he is “like a blood brother” to the CCP officials.
Geared toward thoroughly penetrating other countries and deploying espionage activities such as “Big Overseas Propaganda,” UFWD’s missions contain silencing dissidents and co-opting groups in the West to conform to the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) line. UFWD is also essential in influencing China domestically.
Pro-Communist Leader
Exerted as a veteran pro-communist leader, Chen has been active in the Los Angeles community for decades.
Chen co-founded the Southern California Chinese American Federation (CAF) on April 10, 2005. Its official site describes itself as “a non-profit, non-political social organization” formed by “more than 120 Chinese organizations and business enterprises voluntarily.” The first president was Cheng Yuan.
However, Southern California CAF has convened numerous “Oct. 1 National Day” events in the United States—marking the establishment of the Chinese communist regime and one of the CCP’s most significant celebrations.
Attributed to Chen, a CCP flag-raising ceremony has been held in Los Angeles for 18 consecutive years, starting in 1995.
Chinese counter-protesters wave the Chinese flag as members of the US Hong Kong community protest against what they say is police brutality during the ongoing Hong Kong protests, in Santa Monica, Calif., on Aug. 17, 2019. Mark Ralston/AFP via Getty Images
In a report published on Jan. 19, 2005, the mouthpiece People’s Daily touted that CAF “unites the strength of the majority of Chinese overseas in Southern California, expands the influence of the Chinese community, and integrates into mainstream society in the United States.”
Role in Large-Scale Protest Against CNN
In March 2009, the UFWD introduced and endorsed the Southern California CAF on its official website, changing the date of the organization’s founding to 2004. The Ministry of United Front Work praised the CAF for organizing “a series of events for the 55th anniversary of the National Day, flag-raising, and a large protest rally of 6,000 people on CNN’s insult to China since its establishment.”
On April 9, 2008, CNN’s commentator Jack Cafferty said in a program that the United States imported Chinese-made “junk with the lead paint on them and the poisoned pet food,” adding: “They’re basically the same bunch of goons and thugs they’ve been for the last 50 years.”
CNN later apologized in a statement that Cafferty was offering a “strongly held” opinion of “the Chinese government, not the people.”
The wording of this differentiated criticism angered the Chinese communist regime. In the CCP’s effort to incite Chinese national sentiment both inside and outside of China, overseas pro-communist Chinese organizations and covert proxies like CAF play a crucial role.
Chen’s work for the CCP—not only the protest against CNN—earned him rewards from the CCP’s top brass: he was invited as a special guest at the opening ceremony of the 2008 Beijing Olympics and the 2015 Beijing “September 3 Parade,” where he was visited by Hu Jintao and Xi Jinping, according to Chinese official reports.
“A secret agent, a spy, employed by the Chinese Communist Party,” said Chen Weiming, a pro-democracy activist and sculptor to The Epoch Times on May 31, describing his impression when he confronted Chen: “It was clear that [Chen Jun] was on a mission [with the CCP]. The U.S. government is not wrong in its accusation that [Chen Jun] is an agent of the CCP in the United States.”
Chen’s Military Background
A People's Liberation Army (PLA) Air Force WZ-7 high-altitude reconnaissance drone is seen a day before the 13th China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition in Zhuhai in southern China's Guangdong province on Sept. 27, 2021. Noel Celis/AFP via Getty Images
Chen graduated from the Foreign Language School of Tianjin Foreign Language University in 1993. He then served six years in the 46th Division of the Chinese Air Force, stationed at the Jiuquan Missile Base in Gansu Province. After retiring from military service, he was promoted to the chief trade representative of the Tianjin Municipal Government on the West Coast of the United States.
The DOJ has charged Chen with four counts of “conspiracy to act” and “acting” as an illegal agent of the CCP, bribing a U.S. public official, and international money laundering, and he will be facing a maximum sentence of several decades in prison.
