May 13, 2026
World
World
Donald Trump is set to arrive in Beijing on Wednesday, marking the first visit by a US president to China in nearly a decade, as he seeks to advance trade discussions despite potential tensions over Taiwan and Iran.
LOS ANGELES, May 12 — A former mayor of a California city has been charged with acting as an illegal agent of the Chinese government, the United States Department of Justice said yesterday.
Eileen Wang, 58, who served as mayor of Arcadia — a city north of Los Angeles with about 50,000 residents — has agreed to plead guilty to the felony charge, according to the statement.
Wang stepped down from her mayoral role on Monday, the Arcadia City Council website showed.
Acting as an illegal agent of a foreign government carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison in the United States.
The Justice Department said Wang and an associate, Yaoning Sun, promoted pro-China messaging through a website they ran called US News Center, which targeted the local Chinese American community.
Authorities allege the pair acted on instructions from Chinese government officials to publish content favourable to Beijing.
Sun pleaded guilty in 2025 to acting as an illegal foreign agent and is currently serving a four-year prison sentence.
Separately, President Donald Trump is expected to visit Beijing this week for talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping. — AFP
