US journalist pleads guilty to working as China's agent

Thomas Weir Pauken II, 50, knowingly worked with people employed by the Chinese government for years. US journalist pleads guilty to working as China's agent Copyright current_year BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking. Copyright current_year BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking. Outside shot of the main entrance of a court . A US flag flies in front of it from a white pole. At the top of the temple-like building, in the tympanum, is a stone statue of a woman holding a sword in her left hand A US journalist who had been living and working in China for over a decade has pleaded guilty in a US court to working as an illegal agent for the People's Republic of China (PRC). Thomas Weir Pauken II, 50, "admitted to being part of a conspiracy to obtain sensitive information from the US government" for China, US Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A Eisenberg said. Court filings show that Pauken had been living in China since 2010 and had worked for several media organisations there, including China Central Television and Xinhua News. According to court documents, Pauken worked "at the direction and control of people he knew worked for the PRC" from at least 2019 until February this year. Among the people Pauken worked with is a person identified as "Cathy", whom the US Department of Justice (DOJ) said provided him with "taskings, including meeting with potential intelligence assets". Pauken and "Cathy" were introduced by a man employed as a speechwriter for Chinese President Xi Jinping during the "Trump-China trade wars" in 2017, court filings show. Pauken and "Cathy" were introduced by a man employed as a speechwriter for Chinese President Xi Jinping The DOJ said that the US journalist received at least $100,000 (£73,000) from "Cathy" for his work. Pauken was also instructed to travel several times between 2019 and 2025 to meet with people in the US who could provide him with information to pass on to the PRC. The American journalist "gathered intelligence on his American targets and reported it back to his Chinese intelligence handlers," said Assistant Director Roman Rozhavsky of the FBI's Counterintelligence and Espionage Division. Rozhavsky added that the case was an example of "the lengths to which the Chinese Communist Party will go to undermine our democratic institutions and degrade our political freedoms". Pauken worked with two other people in China, identified as "William" and "Richard", who told the US journalist that reports he filed for them were being sent to Japan. Pauken also sold a group of people from Wuhan information about the US DoJ and information about technology. They also asked Pauken to support them in finding an expert to help them engage in cyber espionage. After the hearing in Alexandria, Virginia, Pauken's attorney, Charles Burnham, gave a statement to Politico which said his client accepted responsibility and was trying to "promote peaceful relations and advance the cause of religious freedom in China". Pauken is scheduled to be sentenced on 1 September and faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison. Secret police and propaganda: The Chinese agents spying on expats in US Senior three students from Rizhao Experimental High School don red mortarboards as they take part in the school's graduation ceremony on 16 May, 2025 in Rizhao, Shandong Students or spies? The young Chinese caught in Trump's crosshairs A man's hands seen typing on a laptop keyboard MI5 warns Chinese spies using job websites to target government staff As the price of Bitcoin sinks once more, here's a guide to some of the trickiest crypto terms. This week, the US proposed new tariffs on dozens of countries including India over concerns of forced labour. Some 18 Republicans joined the Democrats to back the measure, after a smaller group broke ranks on another vote in recent days. It is taking place weeks after Xi met the leaders of the US and Russia - two countries that loom large over North Korea's foreign policy. Micro dramas have surged in popularity, but drawn criticism for often sensationalist content. Upon their return from Taiwan last month, the lawmakers were told that China had banned them for a year. After years of watching China create land to back its expansive claims, others are doing the same. Undercover agents are posing as fake job recruiters to try and identify useful targets, MI5 warns.