Boston Man Cleared of U.S. Charges in High-Stakes China Influence Case

A Boston jury has acquitted 65-year-old Litang Liang of charges that he acted as an unregistered Chinese agent, rejecting U.S. prosecutors' claims that he supplied information about dissidents and pro-Taiwan groups.

A Boston man accused of acting as an unregistered agent for China's government was found not guilty by a jury on Monday, marking the latest courtroom test of U.S. efforts to counter alleged foreign influence operations.

Litang Liang, 65, was acquitted in federal court of charges that he unlawfully provided Chinese officials with information about individuals and groups in the local Chinese-American community. The case, brought in 2023, was part of broader U.S. efforts to combat Beijing’s alleged attempts to silence critics abroad.

Liang, a China-born U.S. citizen, denied the charges and pleaded not guilty. His lawyer, Derege Demissie, argued that the prosecution targeted Liang for his pro-China political activism, including his advocacy for Taiwan’s reunification with mainland China, a position aligned with Beijing’s stance.

“Justice has finally arrived,” Liang told reporters through a translator following the verdict.

U.S. Attorney Leah Foley’s office, which led the prosecution, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Prosecutors alleged that from 2018 to 2022, Liang provided Chinese officials with information on individuals and pro-Taiwan groups. They claimed Liang was recruited due to his active role in the Boston Chinese-American community, with Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy Kistner arguing that China’s government “wanted someone already involved in the community who knew the people who were there.”

Authorities said Liang traveled to Beijing in 2018 for meetings with a Chinese Communist Party arm before founding the New England Alliance for the Peaceful Unification of China, which promoted China’s stance on Taiwan. Prosecutors also claimed that in 2019, he helped organize a counter-protest against pro-democracy demonstrators, and in 2022, he provided Chinese officials with details on two potential recruits for a political investigation agency.

Demissie, however, countered that Liang’s actions were public and transparent, arguing that the case infringed on his First Amendment rights to free speech.

“This case would have meant nothing if it did not involve China,” Demissie told the jury, suggesting the prosecution aimed to intimidate activists.

Taiwan, a democratically governed island, rejects Beijing’s sovereignty claims, stating that only its people can decide their future.

Liang’s acquittal marks a setback for U.S. prosecutors pursuing foreign influence cases, raising concerns over the balance between national security and free speech protections.

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