A recently sentenced Chinese agent called the councilwoman a ‘new political star’ in a draft report to Chinese officials.
A California councilwoman is the fiancée of a man accused of peddling political influence on behalf of the Chinese regime, court records show.
The man, Mike Sun, has allegedly worked with a recently sentenced Chinese agent to advance the Chinese regime’s political interests in Los Angeles. Court documents suggest the two have worked closely for years to align U.S. policy interests with Beijing on sensitive issues, with the Chinese agent Chen Jun telling Chinese officials that Sun—and the councilwoman—were part of a “basic team dedicated for us.”
Sun is also known as Sun Yaoning. Court records show that he is a former Chinese army member. He was the campaign manager for Eileen Wang in 2022, the year she won the city council seat for Arcadia in Los Angeles County with nearly two-thirds of the vote, prosecutors said.
Helping Wang win the midterm election, Sun said in a draft report to Chinese officials, was his proudest achievement as someone who “persist[s] in resisting any hostile forces that undermine the friendship of US-China relations, and Chinese secessionist forces,” according to federal prosecutors.
A review of the court records, public information, and business filings reveals the personal connections between Wang and Sun, who have engaged in several ventures together, including a U.S.-based media group, business entities, and multiple pro-Beijing organizations.
One of them is the American Southwest Chamber of Commerce, a Los Angeles nonprofit Wang founded in 2018 that purports to “promote communication of American southwest people of China,” according to business filings.
Wang confirmed her engagement to Sun in a court filing over a 2023 defamation lawsuit with Michelle Wu, a certified public accountant who had served as the president of the chamber. Wu sued Wang, Sun, and several other individuals with the organization, saying they had falsely accused her of pilfering the organization’s funds.
“Defendant Sun is Wang’s fiancé and is engaged to be married to Wang, further solidifying their close personal and professional relationship,” Wu stated in her complaint. She didn’t respond to an emailed request for comment.
By Eva Fu
