FBI accuses Chinese consulate in San Francisco of harboring fugitive

The FBI believes the Chinese consulate in San Francisco is harboring a fugitive, according to court filings dated Monday. 

The filings, which were first reported by Axios, allege Tang Juan, a biology researcher at the University of California, Davis, lied about her connection to the Chinese military in order to obtain entry into the U.S. and has been avoiding arrest by taking refuge in the consulate.

According to the filings, Tang was charged on June 26 with one count of visa fraud, in which prosecutors said she concealed her connection to the country’s military in her visa application. 

Investigators later searched her home and “discovered photographs of her in the uniform of the Civilian Cadre of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA).” During an FBI interview, Tang denied being personally involved in China’s military. 

The White House issued an executive order on May 29 barring entry to the U.S. for certain Chinese students and researchers from universities linked to the Chinese military. The administration argues that they are at “high risk of being exploited or co-opted by the PRC authorities” to serve as “non-traditional collectors of intellectual property.”

“As the Tang case demonstrates, the Chinese consulate in San Francisco provides a potential safe harbor for a PLA official intent on avoiding prosecution in the United States,” prosecutors stated.

On Tuesday the U.S. told China that it must close its Houston consulate within 72 hours, causing further tensions between the two countries.

On Wednesday President Trump didn’t rule out closing more Chinese consulates, telling reporters at the White House that “it’s always possible.”