Chinese Consul General in New York Reportedly Expelled | New York

China’s consul general in New York has been expelled, CNN reported Wednesday, deepening the crisis surrounding former New York governor Kathy Hochul, who is accused of acting as a secret agent for the Chinese government.

According to the news channel, Hochul announced the expulsion of Huang Ping, the consul general, at an unrelated event. She told reporters that she informed the Chinese consulate that she wanted Ping expelled after being in contact with the U.S. State Department at the request of Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

“I have expressed my desire to expel the Consul General of the People’s Republic of China and the New York Mission, and I have been informed that the Consul General is no longer part of the New York Mission,” she said.

No confirmation of the expulsion has yet been made by either the Chinese or the United States governments.

Later Wednesday, State Department spokesman Matthew Miller appeared to contradict the governor’s account of an expulsion. At a regular news conference, he said Ping had not been expelled, but had finished his term at the consulate in August, at the “end of a regular rotation.”

Miller added: “There has been no removal action. This individual has not been removed. That said, foreign interference, including attempts to influence through covert activities, is something we take very seriously.”

The reported expulsion of a senior Chinese diplomat comes 24 hours after Linda Sun was charged with violating the Foreign Agents Registration Act, money laundering conspiracy, visa fraud and alien smuggling. Sun had been promoted to Hochul’s deputy chief of staff after also working for former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

She worked for the state government for about 15 years until she was fired by Hochul after the governor’s office said it uncovered “evidence of misconduct.” Hochul said her former aide demonstrated an “absolute betrayal of the trust of two administrations in state government.”

Sun’s husband, Chris Hu, was also charged with conspiracy to commit money laundering and conspiracy to commit bank fraud. They have both pleaded not guilty to all charges and are free on bail.

Sun allegedly promoted policies favored by the Chinese government while working for New York state, including pushing Taiwanese officials out of the governor’s office, according to prosecutors. In exchange, Hu allegedly received preferential treatment for his China-based businesses and the couple received gifts such as “Nanjing-style salted ducks.”