The US Justice Department chief on Monday accused China of meddling in the American judicial system when he announced indictments against 13 Chinese nationals allegedly working for Beijing’s spy agencies.
Attorney General Merrick Garland detailed three separate cases in which Chinese intelligence officials harassed dissidents in the United States, attempted to interfere in law enforcement of a Chinese telecoms giant believed to be Huawei, and pressured US academics to work for them.
The cases showed that China “was trying to encroach on the rights and freedoms of individuals in the United States and undermine our justice system that protects those rights,” Garland said.
“The Justice Department will not tolerate attempts by any foreign power to undermine the rule of law on which our democracy is based,” the top US law enforcement official said at a news conference.
Garland made the statement a day after Chinese President Xi Jinping secured a historic third term in office.
US officials have blamed Xi for what they see as a growing effort by China over the past decade to steal US intellectual property and crack down on Chinese political dissidents in the United States.
One of the cases, which focused on harassment and pressure on dissidents, was revealed last week.
In this case, seven Chinese nationals allegedly attempted to force a US citizen to return to China. Two people were arrested, but five others – all alleged employees of Chinese intelligence services – remain at large, probably in China.
In the second case, two Chinese intelligence officials working out of China attempted to recruit a US government official to provide them with inside information about the Justice Department’s pursuit of Huawei.
In 2019, Huawei was charged with a systematic campaign to steal US technology.
The third case involved Chinese intelligence agents posing as academics to recruit agents in the United States.
“In all three cases, and frankly thousands of others, we have found that the Chinese government is threatening established democratic norms and the rule of law while working to undermine US economic security and basic human rights,” said FBI Director Christopher Wray.
