‘Orwellian Climate of Fear’: How China Cracks Down on Critics in the U.S.
It was in October 2023 when F.B.I. agents advised Hui Bo to avoid visiting their office. For his own safety, they suggested meeting in a public area, prompting him to wait at a park in Los Angeles. He was alerted that agents from the People’s Republic of China were keeping an eye on him after he commissioned sculptures in defiance of China’s government. “The F.B.I. informed me that I was in significant danger and strongly recommended relocating and not residing here anymore,” Mr. Hui recounted in an interview. “That’s when I started to feel fearful.” Mr. Hui’s experience highlights a broader trend, which federal law enforcement officials have characterized as a more aggressive new phase in China’s international effort to suppress dissent. Historically, the Chinese state focused on political dissidents and exiled activists, but it now also targets artists like Mr. Hui, whose creative expressions challenge the limits of government tolerance and influence, according to officials. This crackdown has intensified and expanded beyond China’s borders since President Xi Jinping ascended to power in 2012. Furthermore, the government has increased its involvement in foreign elections, including those in New York City, in attempts to stifle criticism of the Chinese state in regions where individuals feel freer to express their opinions than they do in China. China is not isolately attempting to suppress critics overseas. Russia engages in similar actions. Iran does as well. Saudi Arabia follows suit, according to Roman Rozhavsky, the assistant director of the F.B.I.’s counterintelligence division based in Washington. However, China, he noted, is the most tenacious, allocating significant resources to this effort across the United States. Suppressing opposition ranks high among China’s president’s priorities, Mr. Rozhavsky stated. “We are encountering more of these incidents, and we’re observing the Chinese government’s increased aggressiveness in targeting individuals on U.S. territory,” Mr. Rozhavsky remarked. The cases involving the artists exhibit a common theme: they faced targeting for criticizing President Xi, the Chinese Communist Party, or the operations of the Chinese government. A spokesperson for the Chinese embassy in Washington claimed unawareness of Mr. Hui’s case. He dismissed the U.S. Department of Justice’s assertions that China has been silencing critics abroad, labeling it a “completely unfounded accusation and a malicious smear against China” in a statement. Mr. Rozhavsky mentioned that critics of China have seen their relatives threatened by the Chinese government or that China has recruited an individual in the United States to intimidate or harm them physically. “Their role is to silence individuals, and regrettably, it proves effective,” Mr. Rozhavsky expressed. “It fosters this Orwellian climate of fear where individuals hesitate to voice their opinions even while on U.S. soil and simply exercising their right to freedom of speech.” Mr. Hui, 57, migrated to Los Angeles in 2017 with his wife and two children, hoping to provide his family with an improved life away from an oppressive regime. Disappointed by China’s management of public health emergencies and its restrictions on free expression, he began collaborating with a sculptor in secrecy years after leaving China. Together, they fashioned four sculptures. The artworks portray Mr. Xi and the first lady, Peng Liyuan, kneeling with their hands tied behind their backs. In one version, they are clothed, while in another, they are bare-chested, highlighting their degradation. Updated Dec. 21, 2025, 11:51 a.m. ET. This representation of a disgraced kneeling couple draws a powerful and specific historical comparison in China: the lasting example of Qin Hui. He was a 12th-century official held accountable for the unjust execution of General Yue Fei, a revered national figure. A bronze statue of Qin Hui, alongside his wife’s, kneels in atonement outside the general’s tomb in Hangzhou, China. Mr. Hui recognized the implications of depicting the Chinese president and his wife kneeling. He was also cognizant of the associated hazards. In November 2023, as Mr. Xi prepared to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in San Francisco, Mr. Hui was readying his protest. He had announced on social media his intention to showcase the sculptures near the summit as a silent critique of a government he felt had deserted its citizens. Federal prosecutors asserted that two individuals, Cui Guanghai, 44, from China, and John Miller, 64, a British citizen and permanent U.S. resident, orchestrated a harassment scheme to obstruct Mr. Hui’s protest. The harassment occurred from October 2023 through at least April 2025, as court documents reveal. Tracking devices were affixed to Mr. Hui’s vehicle. His tires were slashed to impede his six-plus-hour drive with the sculptures to the conference in San Francisco. In May, a grand jury indicted Mr. Cui and Mr. Miller on counts of conspiracy, interstate stalking, and smuggling. The Justice Department deemed the occurrence a “blatant attack on our national security and our democratic values.” It remained unclear from court records whether Mr. Cui and Mr. Miller had legal counsel. Mr. Hui mentioned that he had also found out that in China, police had taken his parents in for interrogation. Just days before the summit, his mother, who is in her 80s, called him from their hometown in Liaoning, expressing her anguish and pleading with him not to attend the summit, he stated. For Mr. Hui, this was not the first indication of trouble, but it was the most definitive. “I had no option but to abandon my plans,” he said. Mr. Hui was not the only one facing this plight. In the Mojave Desert, Chen Weiming, a Chinese sculptor now based in California, constructed a striking installation made of fiberglass that partially depicted Mr. Xi with protruding spikes resembling the coronavirus on his head. Titled “CCP Virus,” it referenced the Chinese Communist Party. In spring 2021, vandals set it on fire. Mr. Chen remarked that this was not the first incident and certainly not the last. “The pressure is relentless,” he stated. “But the message must endure.” Mr. Chen, 68, operates Liberty Sculpture Park in Yermo, California, displaying dozens of politically charged pieces, including those honoring Tiananmen Square and opposing Hong Kong’s national security laws. He reported that he and his team have endured ongoing harassment since 2022: break-ins in the studio, surveillance, and threats. Even those he collaborates with—curators, filmmakers, publishers—have reported harassment, Mr. Chen shared. He expressed that the attacks have only strengthened his commitment. “I had to reconstruct it,” Mr. Chen said about the sculpture. “This time in steel so it can’t be destroyed.” In March 2022, federal prosecutors announced charges against three individuals in connection with a repression scheme, which included igniting Mr. Chen’s sculpture and spying on the artist. Maya Wang, an associate Asia director at Human Rights Watch, noted that these incidents highlight how far the Chinese government is willing to go. “The employment of transnational repression reveals the foundational issues of the Chinese government’s influence operations globally,” Ms. Wang noted. “It has suppressed voices that challenge Beijing and uplifted those who support it.” Since 2023, Mr. Hui has shed over 30 pounds, he mentioned. He finds it difficult to sleep. He keeps his phone within reach. Nevertheless, Mr. Hui inaugurated his exhibition at the Pandemic Victims Memorial Organization in Corona, California. The sculptures are in position. Security cameras monitor the entrances. As for continuing to commission art in opposition to the government, he stated: “Regardless of whether I proceed, I will face significant risks. Therefore, I will persist.”
Published: 2025-12-21 14:26:00
source: www.nytimes.com
