Real Estate Businessman Sentenced for Aiding China's "Operation Fox Hunt

A Real Estate Businessman Sentenced for Aiding China's "Operation Fox Hunt"

A real estate businessman named Quanzhong An has been sentenced to over a year in a U.S. prison for his role in assisting China's "Operation Fox Hunt." This operation aims to pressure Chinese citizens living abroad to return to China, often through intimidation and harassment.

Prosecutors in the U.S. view "Operation Fox Hunt" as a form of transnational repression, where governments attempt to silence dissenters beyond their borders. An, a Chinese citizen and legal U.S. resident, pleaded guilty to acting as an illegal foreign agent and was sentenced to 20 months in prison, of which he has already served seven.

An's activities were directed at a former manager of a Chinese state-owned company, who Beijing accused of embezzlement. An attempted to locate the manager's son in 2017 and pressured him to secure his father's return to China. He offered to pay back the alleged ill-gotten gains and even arranged for a Chinese official to pressure the son by phone.

An's case is one of many involving transnational repression. The U.S. Justice Department has charged dozens of suspects with such acts on behalf of various countries. This includes the recent conviction of two men for conspiring to kill Iranian American journalist Masih Alinejad, allegedly financed by the Iranian government.

An's daughter, Guangyang An, is also awaiting sentencing after pleading guilty to similar charges. The status of the other five individuals charged in this case remains unclear.