Businessman sentenced for aiding Chinese repatriation efforts

A businessman in New York has been sentenced to 20 months in prison for helping China pressure a former Chinese official living in the U.S. Quanzhong An pleaded guilty last year to acting as an illegal foreign agent. He has already served seven months of his sentence. U.S. prosecutors say An's actions were part of China's "Operation Fox Hunt." This operation aims to bring back people who have fled China. The U.S. views it as a way for China to silence critics abroad. Brooklyn U.S. Attorney John Durham stated that An harassed individuals in the U.S. at the direction of the Chinese government. An was involved in trying to locate and intimidate a former manager of a Chinese state-owned company. This manager is accused of embezzlement by Beijing. An showed up at the man's son's house in 2017 and later contacted him to convince his father to return to China. During these discussions, An told the son that Chinese officials were monitoring their family and would make things difficult for them. An's lawyer described him as a good person and expressed sadness over his return to prison. The case is part of a larger trend, with many others charged in the U.S. for similar actions connected to foreign governments, especially China and Iran.