A Chinese man accused of running a Chinese secret police station in Chinatown, New York, has pleaded guilty, the Guardian and others reported.
According to reports, Chen Xi Jinping, 60, a Chinese-American accused of opening and operating a secret police station belonging to the Chinese Ministry of Public Security in Manhattan, New York, pleaded guilty at a hearing in Eastern Federal Court in New York.
The FBI, which was responsible for the investigation of the case, said Chen acknowledged his role in setting up an illegal police station "to promote China's criminal and repressive goals that directly violate U.S. sovereignty."
The Guardian says the guilty plea could result in a five-year prison sentence in a ruling set for next year.
However, Lu Jian Wang, 62, who was indicted along with Chen, denied the charges.
Earlier, the two were accused of assisting in activities such as monitoring people critical of the Chinese government based on an office in Chinatown with a sign of the Changleo Society, a hometown association for people from Fujian Province.
However, the Chinese Foreign Ministry denied the existence of the secret police station itself.
When asked about his position on the Chen Xi Jinping trial at a briefing on the 19th, Foreign Ministry spokesman Linjian said, "I don't know the specific situation," but added, "China is a rule of law and has consistently complied with international law and respected each country's judicial sovereignty. The so-called secret police station does not exist," he said.
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