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FBI Director Christopher Wray: "It's Outrageous"
Photo: SARAH SILBIGER / AFP
The US judicial authorities have indicted eight people who allegedly acted as Chinese agents in the US.
The defendants are said to have tried to force dissidents to return to China.
Five of them were arrested on Wednesday in the United States, the judicial authorities in New York said.
The other three were believed to be in China.
The US does not have an extradition treaty with China.
As part of the "Fox Hunt" and "Skynet" operations, which will last from 2016 to 2019, the eight suspects are said to have "harassed, persecuted and coerced" political opponents of China's President Xi Jinping in the USA in order to force them to return to China move.
If convicted, the defendants face several years' imprisonment.
Defendant contradicts allegations
"This is the first case of its kind and I think it is significant," said Eastern New York City Attorney Seth DuCharme.
The case shows direct efforts by China to pursue its own interests on American soil in violation of US law.
FBI Director Christopher Wray said China is behaving illegally.
"It is outrageous that China believes it can come to our shores, conduct illegal operations and make the people here in the United States bow to their will."
The Chinese embassy had yet to react to the allegations.
Reuters news agency quoted one of the defendants as saying, "I don't understand because I haven't done anything illegal."
Further reactions from the defendants were initially not known.
The charges are one of a number of measures the Trump administration has taken recently against China.
Trump sees China as the main adversary and enemy and blames the government for the coronavirus outbreak.
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ptz / dpa / Reuters
