Eric Adams could be dragged into China-link corruption case

The New York City mayor risks becoming embroiled in affair that highlights concerns about Beijing’s influence in the US

Eric Adams, the beleaguered New York City mayor, could become embroiled in a controversy over alleged links to China after the FBI raided the home of one of his key aides.
Winnie Greco, who resigned as New York’s director of Asian Affairs on Monday, is among a group of city officials who have been investigated over allegations of corruption.
Prosecutors are also investigating allegations of illegal Chinese influence in the US after a former aide to two New York governors was charged last month with acting as an illegal agent of the Chinese government.
According to The New York Times, Ms Greco has been pivotal in promoting links to Beijing, accompanying Mr Adams on several trips to China over the past decade.
She allegedly persuaded Mr Adams to avoid a meeting with officials from Taiwan while he was Brooklyn borough president.
China has emerged as a key foreign policy election issue, with Donald Trump accusing the Democrats of being “soft” on the Asian giant. However, some experts have suggested that Sino-US relations will worsen if Kamala Harris wins in November.
In 2022, accompanied by Ms Greco, Mr Adams attended a gala event for New York’s Chinese community hosted by Jimmy Lu, a donor to the mayor’s campaign.
At the dinner, Mr Lu, the head of the America Changle Association – a Chinese community group, boasted in Mandarin about Beijing establishing a government police station in lower Manhattan.
Mr Lu said the outpost would help “implement the motherland government’s policy of benefiting the overseas Chinese,” according to The New York Times.
This was not a view shared by the federal authorities, who believe the outpost is part of a global network used by Beijing to spy on dissidents, according to Justice Department documents.
Mr Lu’s brother, Harry, has been arrested for acting as an unregistered agent for the Chinese government. It is not clear if any charges were brought against him.
He was charged with acting as an unregistered agent of the Chinese government, according to The New York Times.
Last month, Mr Adams became the city’s first sitting mayor to be criminally indicted after he was charged with five counts including bribery, wire fraud and soliciting contributions from foreign nationals.
In the indictment, he is accused of seeking and accepting thousands in illegal contributions from foreign nationals, which he allegedly used to “defraud” New York City and “steal public funds” for his successful 2021 campaign.
The former police captain also allegedly enjoyed a close relationship with the Turkish government and, according to the indictment, was given hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of free flight upgrades and opulent hotel stays in the country.