Chinese Whistleblower Living In US Is Being Hunted By Beijing With US Tech (go.com)
- Reference: 0180373103
- News link: https://yro.slashdot.org/story/25/12/12/2341230/chinese-whistleblower-living-in-us-is-being-hunted-by-beijing-with-us-tech
- Source link: https://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory/chinese-whistleblower-now-living-us-hunted-beijing-us-128334783
> Retired Chinese official Li Chuanliang was recuperating from cancer on a Korean resort island when he got an urgent call: Don't return to China, a friend warned. You're now a fugitive. Days later, a stranger snapped a photo of Li in a cafe. Terrified South Korea would send him back, Li fled, flew to the U.S. on a tourist visa and applied for asylum. But even there -- in New York, in California, deep in the Texas desert -- the Chinese government continued to hunt him down with the help of surveillance technology.
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> Li's communications were monitored, his assets seized and his movements followed in police databases. More than 40 friends and relatives -- including his pregnant daughter -- were identified and detained, even by tracking down their cab drivers through facial recognition software. Three former associates died in detention, and for months shadowy men Li believed to be Chinese operatives stalked him across continents, interviews and documents seen by The Associated Press show.
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> The Chinese government is using an increasingly powerful tool to cement its power at home and vastly amplify it abroad: Surveillance technology, much of it originating in the U.S., an AP investigation has found. Within China, this technology helped identify and punish almost 900,000 officials last year alone, nearly five times more than in 2012, according to state numbers. Beijing says it is cracking down on corruption, but critics charge that such technology is used in China and elsewhere to stifle dissent and exact retribution on perceived enemies.
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> Outside China, the same technology is being used to threaten wayward officials, along with dissidents and alleged criminals, under what authorities call Operations "Fox Hunt" and "Sky Net." The U.S. has criticized these overseas operations as a "threat" and an "affront to national sovereignty." More than 14,000 people, including some 3,000 officials, have been brought back to China from more than 120 countries through coercion, arrests and pressure on relatives, according to state information.
[1] https://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory/chinese-whistleblower-now-living-us-hunted-beijing-us-128334783
Re: (Score:3)
> At some point, people will realize
Sure, Jan.
Story doesn't add up :o (Score:2)
Retired Chinese official Li Chuanliang was recuperating from cancer on a Korean resort island when he got an urgent call: Don't return to China, a friend warned. You're now a fugitive.
Wouldn't such a phone call reveal his location as well as the location and identity of this friend?
Re: (Score:2)
From TFA:
> Li's family prospered, investing in apartment complexes and renting out forklifts and bulldozers, raising questions over whether he used his position to enrich relatives. Li and his lawyers don't deny conflicts of interest or civil violations, but say profits were made from legal, regular business operations and deny criminal charges of embezzlement and bribery.
It sounds a lot like how US Congresscritters such as Debbie Wasserman Schultz make bank (142% return in 2024!) by trading stocks in companies that are regulated by their committees: it's obviously crooked and based on having insider information, but difficult to prove.
in other news (Score:1)
evolving technology is being used for its intended purpose.
ok
/me gets butter and salt (Score:2)
I'm sure the comments for this article will be filled with well-thought-out replies and level-headed discussion on technology and political freedom.
Re:/me gets butter and salt (Score:4, Interesting)
There isn't much to discuss.
On the part of China, all is clear - [1]that person is accused of corruption [rfa.org], which is the standard way to deal with officials, corrupt or otherwise, who are no longer convenient over there. Moreover, since he's refused to deal with them and ran instead, they're seeing him as a traitor, too. China also likes to make examples of uppity people who refuse to cave, so they're ready to spend some money to pester him, so that the rest of the herd will notice and be careful.
With the part of trumpistan, everything is also quite clear. The spyware vendors are helping China because they'll sell out anything for a thick wad of quick cash - themselves, their country, their family. The trumpistani government no longer recognizes political persecution for exposing corruption as a problem. In fact, it didn't for a long while, we recall that was typical to prosecute whistleblowers even when that country was known as the USA.
So it is a multi-party match made in heaven.
[1] https://www.rfa.org/english/news/china/china-li-chuanliang-corruption-assets-10162024131446.html
Re: (Score:2)
> Perhaps standard, but didn't we always say that all Chinese officials are "corrupt".
What era are you thinking of when Chinese officials weren't corrupt? This guy is being accused of corruption by the CCP.
Re: (Score:3)
In a civilized world, the US and China would have a mutual extradition treaty so criminals could face justice.
Unfortunately for the CCP, [1]rejecting human rights is one of their top four most fundamental principles [cnn.com]. We can't have an extradition treaty with a country that doesn't even pretend to care about its people.
[1] https://edition.cnn.com/2025/11/04/china/us-china-red-lines-xie-feng-intl-hnk
Re: (Score:2)
Hahahaha! In a civilized world, maybe the USA should agree to recognize the ICC?
*for starters*.
Re: (Score:2)
> maybe the USA should agree to recognize the ICC?
Why? What would that accomplish?
Re: (Score:2)
> We can't have an extradition treaty with a country that doesn't even pretend to care about its people.
Wait! China doesn't respect human rights? That can't be right.
That was the whole (purported) point of Clinton (Mr.) et al. gifting MFN trade status and other benefits to China, and creating a huge new frontier for the evacuation of our industrial base. You're not saying we crushed our manufacturing economy for literally nothing, are you? That's ridiculous. The Clintons would never allow such a thing to happen. Shame on you.
Re: (Score:2)
Which part of the article triggered you to complain about "trumpistan"? Was it this one?
> In 2015, Washington complained that Chinese agents were flying to the U.S. and stalking targets without approval, including U.S. permanent residents. Agents brought night goggles from China, snapped photos and taped threatening messages on doors.
Or maybe that IBM was selling that surveillance software to China before 2017?