The American news website Axios revealed on December 8 that their reporter Bethany Allen-Ebrahimian, working with colleagues, discovered after a year of investigation that a Chinese woman named Fang Fang, who was deliberately befriending politicians in the California Bay Area during the Obama administration (2011-2015), had been a member of a group of politicians in the Bay Area who had been working for the Obama administration for years. Trying to get sensitive political information. (Social Media) Photo: RFA
Among the U.S. officials Fangfang has approached is incumbent California Congressman Eric Swalwell, who has taken a variety of approaches, including providing campaign funds, expanding her network, relying on personal charm, and developing romantic relationships.) The methods she used included providing campaign funds, expanding her network, relying on personal charisma, and developing romantic relationships.
U.S. intelligence agencies are not aware that Fangfang obtained any restricted security information in these ways. But, as the Bethune report points out, the politician’s personal information was also a form of political intelligence.
Congressman Swalwell had already cut off all contact with Fangfang, and the investigation did not find any wrongdoing on the part of Congressman Swalwell.
While the case was being investigated by U.S. intelligence agencies, Fangfang abruptly left the United States in mid-2015 and did not return.
In his report, Bei Shuying noted that this case exemplifies China’s intelligence strategy of cultivating relationships over many years in order to gain intelligence benefits. In their strategy, today’s city mayor or congressman is tomorrow’s congressman or governor.
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