The mayor of Arcadia, a predominantly Chinese-American suburb in Los Angeles, California, has agreed to plead guilty to acting as an unregistered foreign agent of the Chinese government, according to U.S. federal officials and court filings unsealed on Monday.Eileen Wang, 58, who was serving a rotating term as Arcadia’s mayor, also resigned from the city council shortly after the charges were made public. She appeared briefly before a federal magistrate judge, where bond was set at $25,000, and proceedings were conducted with the assistance of a Mandarin interpreter.

According to a 19-page plea agreement filed earlier and later unsealed, Wang admitted to promoting pro-China propaganda “at the direction and control” of Chinese government officials between late 2020 and 2022. The period overlaps with her election to a four-year term on the Arcadia City Council.Federal prosecutors allege that Wang helped operate a website called “US News Center,” which was presented as a news platform for the local Chinese-speaking community but was allegedly used to disseminate content aligned with Beijing’s positions. The material reportedly included articles challenging reports of human rights abuses against Uyghurs in China’s Xinjiang region.

The plea agreement further states that Wang received instructions from Chinese officials to publish specific content and responded to one official with the message, “Thank you leader,” after receiving praise for her work. Prosecutors also linked her activities to coordinated efforts involving individuals previously convicted in related foreign agent cases.

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Wang is said to have worked closely with Yaoning “Mike” Sun, who had previously been described by her as her fiancé and served briefly as a campaign finance adviser. Sun was sentenced earlier this year to four years in prison after pleading guilty to acting as an illegal foreign agent. Another associate, identified in court documents as John Chen, allegedly a member of China’s intelligence network, also received a prison sentence in a related case.

Wang’s attorneys issued a statement expressing remorse, saying she “apologises and is sorry for the mistakes she has made in her personal life.” City officials clarified that the conduct in question occurred before she took office in December 2022 and stated that no municipal funds, staff, or official decision-making processes were involved in the alleged activities.

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