Chinese dissident admitted spying for Beijing, but avoids prison time in Manhattan case
Sentence follows guilty plea
Tang pleaded guilty in September 2025 to failing to register as an agent of the People’s Republic of China with the U.S. attorney general’s office. At Thursday’s sentencing, he avoided prison time.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jane Chong asked for a five-year sentence, the maximum Tang faced. Tang told the judge, through a Chinese interpreter, that he regretted his actions and had caused harm to others.
A motive tied to family
Defense attorney Michael Bradley described Tang as a democracy advocate, writer and activist who wanted to visit his ailing parents and brother in China. He said Tang connected with someone who believed they could help make the visit possible.
Tang said he betrayed his beliefs to see his parents again. He had defected to Taiwan in 2002 before moving to the United States, where he received political asylum and later became a naturalized citizen in July 2018.
Activist trust turned against them
Tang had gained the confidence of members of the pro-democracy China movement by taking part in monthly protests outside China’s Manhattan consulate. He also founded a nonprofit in Flushing, Queens, where he has lived since 2002.
Court documents say a Chinese intelligence officer directed Tang to photograph and record local protests against China. Those included a 2023 Manhattan event honoring victims of the Tiananmen Square massacre.
Community members describe harm
Four people who believed they were victimized spoke at sentencing. Several said they suspected family members’ deaths in China were connected to the exposure of their activities in the United States; one said he doubted a throat stabbing was random.
Chong said Tang’s betrayal of fellow activists furthered a continuing pattern of transnational repression in America. She said his actions had a chilling effect on the wider community.
Key points
- Tang avoided prison after pleading guilty to failing to register as a Chinese government agent.
- Prosecutors sought the maximum five-year sentence.
- Tang said he acted in hopes of visiting his ailing parents and brother.
- People who spoke at sentencing described suspected retaliation and fear in the dissident community.