Case Studies
The following case studies are notable examples of China’s TNR that exemplify the threats that individuals may face, illustrating the elusive and complicated ways in which this extrajudicial repression permeates societies:
2026: A Covert Agent in California
In May 2026, the US Department of Justice announced that mayor of Arcadia, California, Eileen Wang, was charged with acting in the US as an illegal agent of the People’s Republic of China (PRC). Wang resigned as mayor the day the announcement was made and pleaded guilty.5 Between 2020 to 2022, Wang “executed directives from PRC government officials” to promote CCP propaganda and interests in the US on behalf of the CCP’s Central United Front Work Department (UFWD), an agency dedicated to conducting influence operations.6
While there are no reported instances of Wang’s direct role in facilitating the Chinese government’s TNR, this case demonstrates both the extent to which CCP agents and affiliates seek to sway US public opinion, even at local levels, and the brazenness of such efforts.7 The UFWD coordinates across various formal and informal apparatuses, through which the Chinese government aims to gain political influence abroad, manipulate public opinion, and often target dissidents, students, or individuals who participate in “anti-state” activities.8 China’s malign influence attempts to reinforce false narratives within the United States aim to discredit the advocacy of rights advocates and diaspora communities and negate genuine efforts to meaningfully support human rights and combat TNR.
2026: The Father of an “Absconder”
In February 2026, a Hong Kong court sentenced Kwok Yin-sang, father of US-based Hong Kong activist Anna Kwok, to eight months in prison for attempting to deal with Anna’s financial assets. The sentencing was widely seen as retaliation for his daughter’s advocacy abroad.9 The move builds off the arrest warrant and HK$1 million ($129,000) bounty issued by Hong Kong police in July 2023 for Anna Kwok, along with seven overseas activists, under the National Security Law (NSL) for allegedly asking foreign powers to impose sanctions on Hong Kong and China.10 Since 2023, the Hong Kong government has issued bounties and arrest warrants for more than a dozen overseas pro-democracy activists—including Kwok—in an attempt to intimidate them and silence their advocacy.
The conviction of Anna Kwok’s father was the first indictment of a family member of an activist under Article 23, a national security law that expands on security offences laid out in the NSL.11 The case highlights how governments silence or coerce activists based abroad by using family members as leverage.
2024: Intimidation at Harvard University
At an event at Harvard University in April 2024, six student members of a cross-movement coalition disrupted a speech from PRC ambassador Xie Feng.12 A pro-CCP agitator subsequently forcibly dragged one of the students, Taiwanese-American Cosette Wu, “out of the event against her will.” Other student protesters were removed from the event by security. One student, Tibetan-American Tsering Yangchen, specifically noted that an individual “followed her, causing her to feel afraid.” Campus police reportedly interrogated the student protestors. According to a congressional investigation, Harvard’s administration placed three of the student activists on probation but did not take any official disciplinary actions against the pro-CCP agitator.13
Some PRC citizens and overseas students may overlook the difference between party ideology and national pride, often resulting in misinterpreting criticisms of the Chinese government as a personal offense. While it is unclear whether the agitator’s actions were indeed directly linked to or coordinated by the CCP, this case has been described as an act of possible TNR.14 Intimidation on campuses aims to create a climate of fear to discourage students from engaging in pro-democracy initiatives or expressing dissent.15 Several Chinese students studying abroad in the United States have reported feeling the need to self-censor and parrot CCP rhetoric to best protect themselves and their families back home.16
2023: Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit
During President Xi Jinping’s visit to San Francisco for the 2023 APEC summit, peaceful protesters reported being crowded out and hounded by pro-CCP supporters, who used flags and flagpoles to inconspicuously hit and stab protesters.17 This intimidation and harassment continued throughout the week.18
Additional reporting from the Hong Kong Democracy Council and Students for a Free Tibet states that many pro-CCP supporters were recruited through government-proximate UFWD groups, chapters of Chinese Students and Scholars Associations with close ties to PRC consulates, and other programs run by the PRC Foreign Ministry.19 In 2025, the US Department of Justice revealed that Serbian officials—at the request of the United States government—arrested Cui Guanghai and John Miller for coordinating “interstate stalking” to intimidate a Los Angeles resident with the hopes of preventing the individual from partaking in the 2023 APEC summit demonstrations against President Xi Jinping.20 Among other acts of intimidation, Cui and Miller installed a tracking device in the LA resident’s car, slashed his tires, and purchased and destroyed his artworks depicting Xi and his wife.21 The widespread and severe acts of intimidation, coercion, and threats coordinated by Chinese government affiliates demonstrate the violent physical threat that TNR poses, especially when targeted subjects exercise their right to peaceful assembly.
Recommendations
To address the complex nature of China’s TNR, the US government should consider the following recommendations—each an important step among many—to protect American communities and hold perpetrators accountable.
Codify transnational repression into US law through the passage of the Transnational Repression Policy Act (S. 2525 / H.R. 4829). 22
Clear statutory language to define acts of TNR serves as the legal foundation for further action across law enforcement, immigration, diplomatic, and national security frameworks.23 It further reaffirms the seriousness of these crimes and signals publicly that the USG will prioritize these efforts moving forward to ensure that others will not be targeted. Establishing a clear legal definition for TNR would help standardize data collection, improve interagency coordination, and provide federal, state, and local actors with clearer guidance on identifying and responding to these abuses. In recent years, the USG has taken meaningful steps to recognize TNR as a growing threat through public advisories, high-profile prosecutions, congressional hearings, and increased attention from human rights and national security bodies.24 Translating this growing recognition into durable statutory frameworks can support long-term prevention and accountability efforts.
Establish accountability mechanisms for perpetrators of TNR
In congruence with the imperative outlined in the Transnational Repression Policy Act (S. 2525 / H.R. 4829) to “raise the costs borne by governments engaging in TNR by holding such governments accountable,” meaningful repercussions need to be implemented to ensure that perpetrators face consequences for facilitating repressive acts across borders and to deter other governments or officials from acting similarly.25
A potential sanctions scheme could allow both the Secretaries of State and the Treasury to impose sanctions on foreign persons involved, directly or indirectly, in TNR, including actions that:
- Undermine the democratic processes and sovereignty of the United States;
- Intimidate, silence, coerce, harass, or harm members of diaspora and exile communities to prevent their exercise of internationally recognized human rights, including freedom of speech and free assembly; and
- Other actions delineated in the Transnational Repression Policy Act that constitute extraterritorial repression.
Visa restrictions, similarly, are a powerful tool to ensure that people responsible for or complicit in TNR are unable to enter the United States, halting their continual engagement in such acts. The Global Magnitsky Act provides a helpful paradigm for structuring these visa restrictions in a limited and targeted fashion based on substantive evidence confirming their responsibility for perpetuating such human rights abuses.26
Closely monitor the PRC’s use of legislation to facilitate transnational repression
Along with like-minded allies and partners, the United States should monitor the impacts of PRC legislative developments, such as the “Law on the Promotion of Ethnic Unity and Progress,” among others, which may be used to facilitate or legitimize transnational repression. The United States should prioritize targeted sanctions and visa restrictions on individuals and entities who materially assist in the extraterritorial application of such laws or policies, or who are found to be responsible for or complicit in holding overseas individuals and organizations liable for conduct deemed by the PRC as “undermining ethnic unity.”
Enhance the training of police to understand and recognize patterns of TNR
Activists and community members often hesitate to report incidents of TNR to police due to a lack of evidence or reported severity. Police in democratic societies who are unaware of the nature of China’s TNR often dismiss incidents as minor transgressions that fail to meet evidentiary thresholds or do not expressly belong to formalized categories of crime. Reviving and expanding reporting mechanisms from hotlines, online reporting portals, and multilingual outreach efforts—some of the measures put forth in the Uyghur Policy Act (S. 1542 / H.R. 2635)—would improve people’s ability to safely report incidents, including in their native language.27 Language training for officers and hotline workers in Uyghur, Tibetan, Southern Mongolian, and other languages of at-risk communities ensures that affected persons can comfortably and thoroughly report incidents. Reporting mechanisms should align with broader monitoring and documentation efforts to identify cross-border networks and long-term patterns that may otherwise appear as isolated incidents that fail to meet evidentiary standards. Centralized standardized reporting can support effective prevention strategies, public awareness, and policy responses, while also providing communities with greater confidence.
Restore the mobility of targets of foreign authoritarian repression
Even when targets of TNR relocate to other countries, activists report being subject to diplomatic roadblocks and time-intensive processes for securing political asylum, travel authorizations, and citizenship. Expedited pathways should be created to help establish permanent legal status or travel authorizations for human rights defenders, whose efforts hinge on their ability to travel, engage in high-level coordination and public advocacy, liaise with international partners, and respond to urgent developments.
Define clear protocols when individuals based in exile are deported by third countries back to the People’s Republic of China
As authoritarian countries deepen their cooperation, third countries are abetting other authoritarian regimes to target dissidents. Governments may leverage friendships with other like-minded countries to inconspicuously detain targets in transit or third countries, which requires a different set of interventions and negotiation tactics when dealing with proxies of regimes. The USG should actively engage with the international community to establish robust protocols and identify pressure points to ensure preparedness in dealing with third-country deportations, particularly in countries where local authorities may acquiesce to the Chinese government’s demands.
Amplify community-led convening efforts
Civil society organizations and diaspora communities based in democratic societies play a critical role in bridging the gap between activists and state institutions. These entities frequently serve as trusted conveners and sources of direct support. Investing in long-term partnerships with civil society organizations can assist with seeking specialized expertise and established community relationships without needing to build parallel capacities. Such collaborations offer a cost-effective and mutually reinforcing approach to advancing shared goals, and welcome more impactful convenings that raise awareness of TNR and effective solutions.
Fund holistic context-specific mental health support with specialized CSOs
The burden of TNR is borne every day by communities whose daily lives are fundamentally shaken by extraterritorial threats. Moreover, the lack of understanding of TNR from health practitioners makes it difficult to address the specific anxieties that activists and diaspora communities face. Integrating specialized civil society expertise into official response mechanisms would improve the quality and comprehensiveness of support offered, including psychosocial services. Stronger institutional pathways for consultation, referral, and collaborative programming would connect individuals, civil society organizations, and subject-matter experts who have direct experience working with affected communities.
This policy brief was informed by HRF’s Beyond Borders Youth Workshop on Resilience Against the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in March 2026. The content reflects insights generated through a multi-track program designed to examine the transnational repression of the CCP, with a particular focus on its impact on rising activists, diaspora communities, and civil society actors. We extend our deepest gratitude to Athena Tong, Sarah Moulton, Loretta Lau, Ambassador Freddy Lim, Vanina Waizmann, Pema Doma, and Laura Harth for serving as facilitators at our workshop.
We thank Alexander Dukalskis, David Tobin, and Zumretay Erkin for sharing their expertise and providing valuable feedback for the development of this brief.
References
“Transnational Repression,” Civic Space Brief, United Nations Office of the High Commissioner, https://www.ohchr.org/sites/default/files/documents/publications/transnational-repression-1-en.pdf.
TNR breaches various rights protected under, inter alia, the UN Charter, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the Rome Statute, and the Refugee Convention.
Freedom House, “Collaboration and Resistance: Tracking Transnational Repression in 2025,” April 2026, https://freedomhouse.org/report/special-report/2026/collaboration-and-resistance-tracking-transnational-repression-2025.
Human Rights Foundation, “Beyond Borders: HRF Equips Young Leaders With Skills to Counter China’s Transnational Repression,” April 2026, https://hrf.org/latest/beyond-borders-hrf-equips-young-leaders-with-skills-to-counter-chinas-transnational-repression/.
Amy Qin, “A Mayor, Her Boyfriend and China’s Mysterious Propaganda Machine,” The New York Times, June 2026, https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/09/us/politics/eileen-wang-arcadia-california-mayor-china.html; Jaimie Ding, “Former Southern California Mayor Pleads Guilty to Secretly Acting as Agent of Chinese Government,” Associated Press, Updated May 2026, https://apnews.com/article/arcadia-california-mayor-chinese-agent-eileen-wang-7d31d35a23efe1087c0e229be6be2048.
“Arcadia Mayor Federally Charged with Acting as Illegal Agent of the People’s Republic of China,” United States Attorney’s Office, Central District of California, May 2026, https://www.justice.gov/usao-cdca/pr/arcadia-mayor-federally-charged-acting-illegal-agent-peoples-republic-china; Chad de Guzman, “California Mayor Resigns, Admitting to Being an Agent for China,” TIME, May 2026, https://time.com/article/2026/05/12/arcadia-california-mayor-eileen-wang-agent-china/; Amy Qin, “A Mayor, Her Boyfriend and China’s Mysterious Propaganda Machine,” The New York Times, June 2026, https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/09/us/politics/eileen-wang-arcadia-california-mayor-china.html.
“Arcadia Mayor Federally Charged with Acting as Illegal Agent of the People’s Republic of China,” United States Attorney’s Office, Central District of California, May 2026, https://www.justice.gov/usao-cdca/pr/arcadia-mayor-federally-charged-acting-illegal-agent-peoples-republic-china.
Martin Purbrick, “The Long Arm of the Law(less): The PRC’s Overseas Police Stations,” China Brief, Jamestown Foundation, June 2023, https://jamestown.org/the-long-arm-of-the-lawless-the-prcs-overseas-police-stations/; Select Committee on Strategic Competition between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party, U.S. House of Representatives, “Select Committee Unveils CCP Influence Memo, ‘United Front 101,’” November 2023, https://chinaselectcommittee.house.gov/media/memos/select-committee-unveils-ccp-influence-memo-united-front-101; Alexander Bowe, “China’s Overseas United Front Work: Background and Implications for the United States,” Staff Research Report, U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission, August 2018, https://www.uscc.gov/sites/default/files/Research/China%27s%20Overseas%20United%20Front%20Work%20-%20Background%20and%20Implications%20for%20US_final_0.pdf.
Kanis Leung, “The Father of a US-based Hong Kong Activist is Convicted Under National Security Law,” Associated Press, Updated February 2026, https://apnews.com/article/hong-kong-anna-kwok-father-national-security-e05e224216a2966d63a158859b378e55.
James Pomfret and Jessie Pang, “Hong Kong Police Issue Arrest Warrants for Eight Activists,” Reuters, July 2023, https://www.reuters.com/world/china/hong-kong-police-issue-arrest-warrants-eight-activists-2023-07-03/.
Koh Ewe, “Father of Hong Kong Activist Sentenced to Eight Months in Prison,” BBC News, February 2026, https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c3ew7d0e382o.
Coalition to Students Resisting the CCP (website), accessed June 2026, https://www.coalition-studentsresistchina.org/.
Select Committee on Strategic Competition between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party, U.S. House of Representatives, “Moolenaar Unveils Harvard Failed to Stand Up to CCP Influence on Campus,” October 2024, https://chinaselectcommittee.house.gov/media/press-releases/moolenaar-unveils-harvard-failed-stand-ccp-influence-campus-1; William C. Mao and Dhruv T. Patel, “Harvard Placed 3 Students on Probation for Role in Anti-CCP Protest, Documents Show,” The Harvard Crimson, October 2024, https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2024/10/19/harvard-kennedy-school-china-investigation/; Sarah McLaughlin, Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, “In Baffling Decision, Harvard Excuses Violence Against Student Briefly Disrupting Chinese Diplomat’s Speech,” October 2024, https://www.fire.org/news/baffling-decision-harvard-excuses-violence-against-student-briefly-disrupting-chinese.
Select Committee on Strategic Competition between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party, U.S. House of Representatives, “Letter to Harvard on Possible Transnational Repression of Anti-CCP Protest,” July 2024, https://chinaselectcommittee.house.gov/media/letters/letter-harvard-possible-transnational-repression-anti-ccp-protest.
Amnesty International, “China: ‘On My Campus, I Am Afraid’: China’s Targeting of Overseas Students Stifles Rights,” ASA 17/8006/2024, May 2024, https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/asa17/8006/2024/en/.
Amnesty International, China: “On my campus, I am afraid”: China’s targeting of overseas students stifles rights, May 2024, https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/asa17/8006/2024/en/
Congressional-Executive Commission on China, “2024 Annual Report,” U.S. Government Publishing Office, December 2024, 293, https://www.cecc.gov/sites/evo-subsites/cecc.house.gov/files/2024-12/2024-CH20-Human-Rights-Violations-in-the-U.S.-and-Globally.pdf.
Hong Kong Democracy Council and Students for a Free Tibet, “Exporting Repression: Attacks on Protesters During Xi Jinping’s Visit to San Francisco in November 2023,” July 2024, https://ccpexportingrepression.com.
Hong Kong Democracy Council and Students for a Free Tibet, Exporting Repression: Attacks on Protesters During Xi Jinping’s Visit to San Francisco in November 2023, July 2024, https://ccpexportingrepression.com/; Shibani Mahtani, Meg Kelly, Cate Brown, Cate Cadell, Ellen Nakashima, and Chris Dehghanpoor, “How China Extended Its Repression into an American City,” Washington Post, September 2024, https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/interactive/2024/chinese-communist-party-us-repression-xi-jinping-apec/.
U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Public Affairs, “Two Foreign Nationals Arrested in Serbia for Directing Interstate Stalking and Harassment Scheme Targeting Los Angeles-Based Critic of Chinese President Xi Jinping,” press release, April 2025, https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/two-foreign-nationals-arrested-serbia-directing-interstate-stalking-and-harassment-scheme.
Ibid.
Freedom House et al., “Joint Statement: Request to Mark Up the Transnational Repression Policy Act,” March 2026, https://freedomhouse.org/article/request-mark-transnational-repression-policy-act.
Yana Gorokhovskaia and Grady Vaughan, “Collaboration and Resistance: Tracking Transnational Repression in 2025,” Freedom House, 2026, https://freedomhouse.org/report/special-report/2026/collaboration-and-resistance-tracking-transnational-repression-2025.
“Transnational Repression,” National Security Division, U.S. Department of Justice, accessed May 2026, https://www.justice.gov/nsd/transnational-repression-tnr; “Transnational Repression, Federal Bureau of Investigation, accessed May 2026, https://www.fbi.gov/investigate/counterintelligence/transnational-repression; Luc Cohen, “New York Man Found Guilty in Chinese ‘Secret Police Station’ Case,” Reuters, Updated May 2026, https://www.reuters.com/legal/litigation/new-york-man-found-guilty-chinese-secret-police-station-case-2026-05-13; “Countering China’s Global Transnational Campaign,” hearing before the Congressional-Executive Commission on China, September 2023, https://www.cecc.gov/events/hearings/countering-chinas-global-transnational-repression-campaign; “CCP Transnational Repression: The Party’s Effort to Silence and Coerce Critics Overseas,” hearing before the Select Committee on the Strategic Competition between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party, U.S. House of Representatives, December 2023, https://www.congress.gov/event/118th-congress/house-event/116680; “The PRC’s Threats to Americans: Transnational Repression & State-Level Responses,” hearing before the Congressional-Executive Commission on China, June 2026, https://www.cecc.gov/events/hearings/prcs-threats-americans-transnational-repression-state-level-responses.
Freedom House et al., “Joint Statement: Request to Mark Up the Transnational Repression Policy Act,” March 2026, https://freedomhouse.org/article/request-mark-transnational-repression-policy-act.
Human Rights and Anti-Corruption Sanctions: The Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act, Congressional Research Service, IF10576, updated August 2025, https://www.congress.gov/crs-products/product/pdf/IF/IF10576.
U.S. Congress, Senate, Uyghur Policy Act of 2025, S. 1542, 119th Cong., accessed June 29, 2026, https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/1542.
