Hong Kong Exiled Activist Threatened in Activities Organized by CCP Agents

On the afternoon of June 9, 2019, Hong Kong people living in Boston and local Chinese gathered in front of the Massachusetts government building. The picture shows Hui Wing-ting holding a loudspeaker to call on everyone to support the "anti-extradition" campaign. (Liu Jingye/The Epoch Times)

Frances Hui Wing-ting, a Hong Kong exile currently living in the United States, is the first pro-democracy activist from Hong Kong to be granted political asylum in the United States. She shared her experiences organizing rallies in Boston in support of pro-democracy activities in Hong Kong in 2019, and facing threats and intimidation from pro-Chinese Communist Party (CCP) figures.

One of the key figures behind these threats, Liang Litang, the president of the New England Alliance for Peaceful Unification of China (NEAPUC), was arrested by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in May 2023. He is charged with illegally acting as an agent of a foreign government. The indictment alleges that he organized protests against Hong Kong residents at the direction of CCP officials.

Hui went into exile in 2020 following the enactment of the National Security Law in Hong Kong. In an interview with Voice of America (VOA), she recalled that she had participated in street protests in Hong Kong since the age of 15. In April 2019, while studying at Emerson College in Boston, she published an article in the school newspaper titled “I Come from Hong Kong, Not China.” This article drew threats and intimidation from mainland Chinese students at the university, who posted messages on Facebook, including one that read, “Those who offend China will be killed wherever you are.”

In August of that year, when the Hong Kong anti-extradition protest was in full swing, Ms. Hui organized a rally in Boston under the banner “Boston Stands with Hong Kong.” This drew the attention of the local Chinese community, some of whom planned to “crash” the event through a WeChat group. The group even discussed bringing firearms to the event. Hui was then “doxxed,” with individuals publicly revealing her church address, the time she would be there, and making calls to intimidate her.

CCP Agents Instructed Local Chinese to Protest Against ‘Hong Kong Independence’

Ms. Hui admitted that she felt very scared then and even considered “making a will first,” and canceling the rally. However, she ultimately decided to go ahead with the event with the volunteers while everyone was just “being brave.” She suspected that the orchestrators behind the disruption were associated with the CCP. She mentioned being followed by individuals after the rally.

After a gap of four years, Liang was arrested in Boston in May. The indictment revealed that Liang, acting at the direction of CCP officials, used WeChat to organize protests against “Hong Kong independence” in the local Chinese community. He also distributed Chinese national flags at these protests and filmed the events, reporting back to CCP officials in real time.

CCP Operatives Everywhere

Ms. Hui is the Policy Advocacy Coordinator for the group “Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong Foundation,” founded by Hongkongers in America. She has the opportunity to brief members of Congress on the situation in Hong Kong and discuss the formulation of legislation. However, she openly admitted that while the United States is much safer than Hong Kong, “it is not 100 percent true.”

She lamented that some “little pink” individuals would act voluntarily without the instigation of the CCP agents because they have been brainwashed from a young age to report all things critical of the CCP. She mentioned that in every region, there are student associations for mainland Chinese students, Chinese community organizations, and even restaurants and clubs linked to the CCP, effectively serving as secret police bases. “Something you casually mention to one member of this community can easily be reported to the CCP.” She stressed that “the influence of the Chinese Communist Party and its operatives can be found everywhere.”

Mr. Liang Charged with Providing a ‘Blacklist’ to the CCP

Mr. Liang was arrested in Boston in May of this year. He faces charges of “conspiring to act as an agent of a foreign government” and “acting as an agent of a foreign government without notification to the Department of Justice.” These charges carry a maximum penalty of 15 years imprisonment and a fine of US$500,000.

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The indictment detailed Mr. Liang’s actions, including “providing information about individuals and groups in the Boston area to the government of China; organizing protests against pro-democracy dissidents in the United States; providing photographs and information about dissidents in the United States to officials of the China government; and providing names of individuals who might be recruitable to the Ministry of State Security of China.” These activities began around 2018 and continued at least until 2022.

The indictment also provided a detailed account of Liang’s role in disrupting events organized by Hong Kong residents in the Boston area. This included his role in organizing protests against Hong Kong residents on Aug. 18, 2019, when CCP officials assigned him to do so. He had multiple communications with CCP officials to discuss protest plans. On the evening of Aug. 17, he sent videos to CCP officials to indicate his participation in protests against Hong Kong residents in New York.