Credit: Gary Raynaldo  / ©Diplomatic Times /  Consulate General of the People’s Republic of China located on Laguna Street in San Francisco, CA .

By Gary Raynaldo        DIPLOMATIC  TIMES

U.S. officials said a Chinese researcher suspected of Visa fraud was arrested Friday by the FBI Friday after she  took refuge in China’s consulate in San Francisco, California.  Juan Tang, a researcher at the University of California at Davis, was charged, along with three  other Chines citizens,  with visa fraud in connection to a scheme to lie about their status as members of the Chinese military, the People’s Liberation Army, while in the United States conducting research, the Justice Department said in an statement on Thursday. Tang reportedly sought refuge at the Chinese consulate in San Francisco where she remained until her arrest Friday. It was unclear how are  exactly where exactly Tang was arrested.  According to court documents unsealed in the Eastern District of California on July 20, Tang  applied for a non-immigrant J1 visa on or about Oct. 28, 2019.  The visa was issued in November 2019, and Tang entered the United States on or about Dec. 27, 2019.  Tang is alleged to have made fraudulent statements on her visa application.  Specifically, to the question, “Have you ever served in the military,” Tang responded “No.”

California University Researcher Allegedly Member of Chinese Military  PLA

Credit: Gary Raynaldo  / ©Diplomatic Times /  Consulate General of the People’s Republic of China located on Laguna Street in San Francisco, CA .

According  to the U.S. Department of Justice, “Tang is in fact a uniformed officer of the PLA Air Force (PLAAF).”   As set forth in the Complaint, the FBI found a photograph of Tang in a military uniform and references to Tang’s employment at the Air Force Military Medical University, which has also been known as the Fourth Military Medical University.  The FBI interviewed Tang on June 20.  Although Tang denied having been a member of the military, an additional photograph of Tang in a different PLA military uniform was found on electronic media seized pursuant to a search warrant, according to the  DOJ.

“These members of China’s People Liberation Army applied for research visas while hiding their true affiliation with the PLA. This is another part of the Chinese Communist Party’s plan to take advantage of our open society and exploit academic institutions.  We will continue to conduct this investigation together with the FBI.”

-Assistant Attorney General for National Security John C. Demers

Each defendant has been charged with visa fraud, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1546(a).  If convicted, each faces a maximum statutory penalty of 10 years in prison and a fine of $250,000.  

 U.S. State Department Ordered China to close Consulate in Houston, Texas.

Credit: Gary Raynaldo  / ©Diplomatic Times /  Consulate General of the People’s Republic of China located on Laguna Street in San Francisco, CA .

The State Department  on Wednesday confirmed the U.S. has ordered China to close its consulate in Houston, prompting Beijing to insist on firm countermeasures unless Washington immediately reverses its decision. The move is an escalation of political tensions between the world’s two largest economies.