5th September 2024 – (New York) New York Governor Kathy Hochul announced her request for the expulsion of Huang Ping, the Chinese Consul General based in New York, following charges against her former aide for acting as an undisclosed agent for Beijing.
Governor Hochul revealed that she had expressed her concerns to senior U.S. officials, resulting in the consul’s departure from the mission. “I have conveyed my desire to have the consul general from the People’s Republic of China and the New York mission expelled, and I’ve been informed that the consul general is no longer in the New York mission,” Hochul stated.
The announcement follows the arrest of Linda Sun, Hochul’s ex-deputy chief of staff, who was charged with operating covertly on behalf of the Chinese government. Sun, a naturalised U.S. citizen originally from China, pleaded not guilty to the charges in a Brooklyn federal court. Her husband, Chris Hu, also faces similar charges and both have been released on bond.
The U.S. State Department, however, clarified that Huang’s departure was due to “the end of a regular scheduled rotation,” according to spokesman Matthew Miller. Miller emphasised the seriousness with which the U.S. treats foreign interference and undisclosed activities meant to sway political interests under the Foreign Agents Registration Act.
Hochul, detailing the betrayal of trust by Sun, remarked on the gravity of the actions uncovered. “The indictment lays out very clearly evidence that these actions taken by Linda Sun were an absolute betrayal of the trust of two administrations of state government,” she said. The charges suggest Sun manipulated governmental interactions to favour Chinese interests, including adjusting the New York State Governor’s communications to meet Chinese expectations.
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