Suspected Chinese Spy Targeted US Politicians Including Eric Swalwell

The Cal State East Bay student and Chinese national hobnobbed with some of the Bay Area’s leading politicians, even fundraising for some. She attended student events, fundraisers, campaign rallies and cocktail parties throughout the region, ingratiating herself to politicians on the rise.

But what Congressman Eric Swalwell and others didn’t know was Christine Fang, or Fang Fang, was a suspected Chinese spy, according to a one-year investigation by Axios. U.S. intelligence officials told the news organization that China’s main civilian spy agency ran an operation developing connections with local and...

A suspected Chinese intelligence operative developed extensive ties with local and national politicians, including a U.S. congressman, in what U.S. officials believe was a political intelligence operation run by China’s main civilian spy agency between 2011 and 2015, Axios found in a yearlong investigation.

Why it matters: The alleged operation offers a rare window into how Beijing has tried to gain access to and influence U.S. political circles.

While this suspected operative’s activities appear to have ended during the Obama administration, concerns about Beijing's influence operations have spanned President Trump’s...