Mayor of California city resigns over charges of being a foreign agent of China

Eileen Wang, the mayor of a southern California city, resigned suddenly on Monday after the US Department of Justice (DoJ) announced she had been charged with acting as an illegal foreign agent of China. Wang, 58, agreed to plead guilty to the felony count and could face a sentence of 10 years in prison. “Individuals in our country who covertly do the bidding of foreign governments undermine our democracy,” said Bill Essayli, an assistant US attorney. “This plea agreement is the latest success in our determination to defend the homeland against China’s efforts to corrupt our institutions.” According to her plea agreement, Wang and Yaoning “Mike” Sun, 65, of Chino Hills, worked with the Peoples’ Republic of China to promote the country’s interests through pro-PRC propaganda posted to a website they ran, US News Center, which billed itself as a news source for the local Chinese American community, the Department of Justice said. Wang, who was elected to the city council in November 2022, announced she was vacating her position as mayor hours after the plea deal was unsealed. Officials in Arcadia, a Los Angeles county city of about 54,000, told the Los Angeles Times that the conduct described by federal officials happened before Wang was elected. A message from Dominic Lazzaretto, Arcadia city manager, was posted on the city’s website. …