Man Charged With Killing Head of US Newspaper With Ties to CCP to Stand Trial in March

Xie Yining, founder and chairman of the U.S.-based Chinese-language newspaper China Press, was shot to death inside the publication’s office in Alhambra, Calif., on Nov. 16, 2018. Linda Jiang/The Epoch Times

A man charged with shooting and killing his boss at a U.S.-based, Chinese-language newspaper’s office in Alhambra, California, in 2018 will stand trial March 1.

The jury trial for Zhong Qi Chen, 63, who allegedly murdered Yining Xie, founder and chairman of China Press—or Qiao Bao in Chinese—was originally scheduled for this week.

The delay came after Chen and his attorney Donald B. Marks appeared at the Alhambra courthouse Jan. 30, citing Marks’s “scheduling conflicts” as a reason for the delay.

“We hope to be ready on March 1,” Marks told The Epoch Times.

Zhong Qi Chen, of El Monte, Calif. was arrested for suspicion of murder with a firearm in Alhambra on Nov. 16, 2018. Courtesy of Alhambra Police Department

During the Monday hearing, Superior Court Judge Michael Villalobos urged the defendant’s legal team to speed up bringing the case to trial.

“We’re pushing almost five years now, so we need to get it done,” Villalobos said.

Chen, a Chinese national with U.S. citizenship, could be seen in a yellow prison uniform with an interpreter next to him. No relatives of Chen were seen in attendance.

Yining Xie, founder and chairman of the U.S.-based Chinese-language newspaper China Press, was shot to death inside the publication’s office in Alhambra, Calif., on Nov. 16, 2018. Linda Jiang/The Epoch Times

On Nov. 16, 2018, Xie, 58, was pronounced dead at 9:40 a.m. with multiple gunshot wounds to the head and torso. He was found on the second floor of the newspaper’s Alhambra building, according to police.

Chen was arrested the same day on suspicion of murder, and a handgun was recovered by officers from the scene. Investigators said they believe a workplace dispute led to the shooting.

Chen was released three days later after posting a bond for his $1-million bail—before being arrested again the next day on a Los Angeles County Superior Court warrant, with a bail of $6 million. The bail amount was later reduced to $3 million by a judge.

Chen pleaded not guilty later that month to murder with allegations that he used a handgun and caused great bodily injury and death, according to a press release (pdf) from Los Angeles County district attorney’s office.

China Press’ Close Ties to the CCP

China Press published an obituary in November 2018 with a brief timeline of Xie’s career.

After graduating from university in 1982, Xie became a reporter for the state-run China News Service. In 1987, Xie became the White House correspondent for the news service. In 1992, he left his position to establish China Press in San Francisco; the newspaper also has editions in Los Angeles and New York.

China Press is long known in the U.S. immigrant community for its pro-Beijing views and propensity to repeat the Chinese Community Party’s (CCP) propaganda on a wide range of issues.

China Press's webpage, with a remembrance photo and message about the passing of its founder, Xie Yining. Screenshot

The publication is under the umbrella of Rhythm Media Group, a California-registered firm founded in 2003 with several Chinese-language news outlets, a film production company, and a cultural center in its profile.

In 2001, the U.S. think tank Jamestown Foundation listed China Press as an overseas Chinese newspaper “directly controlled by the Chinese government.”

After Xie’s death, the newspaper’s operation reportedly shrunk, with its West Coast edition switched from daily to weekly print distribution in July 2019, the publication announced the previous month.

Epoch Times staff members Zhou Yuejun and Annie Wu contributed to this report.