On the day she was sworn in as mayor, Eileen Wang spoke in soaring terms about her journey from a “small mountain village” in China to America, and specifically to Arcadia, a small city in Southern California.

宣誓就任市长那天，王爱琳用慷慨激昂的言辞讲述了她从中国一个“小山村”来到美国，特别是来到南加州小城阿卡迪亚的旅程。

Then her speech took a sharp turn.

随后，她话锋一转。

“As Americans, and especially as elected officials, our loyalty must always be clear,” she said, “to this country, to our constitution, to our residents, and to no one else.”

“作为美国人，尤其是作为民选官员，我们的忠诚必须始终明确，”她说。“忠于这个国家，忠于我们的宪法，忠于我们的居民，绝不忠于其他任何人。”

Three months later, in May, federal prosecutors announced that Ms. Wang, 56, had agreed to plead guilty to acting as an illegal foreign agent of the Chinese government. She resigned as mayor that day and faces up to 10 years in jail.

三个月后的5月，联邦检察官宣布，56岁的王爱琳承认充当中国政府非法外国代理人的罪名。她于当天辞去市长职务，面临最高10年的监禁。

Ms. Wang’s speech in February is just one of many plot points that have deepened the mystery around her true identity.

王爱琳2月的演讲只是加深围绕她真实身份谜团的众多情节之一。

She jumped into city politics in her 50s, first as a Republican, then a Democrat. She had a fiancé who was a foreign agent. Or maybe not.

她在50多岁时投身城市政治，先是作为共和党人，后来又转为民主党人。她曾有一个身为外国代理人的未婚夫。或许也并非如此。

Before winning election to the City Council in 2022, she had actively promoted ties between the United States and China and voiced support for one of Beijing’s overarching goals, absorbing Taiwan. But some of her former colleagues said they could not recall any obvious examples of how she might have used public office to promote pro-Beijing views — or really any strong opinions at all.

在2022年赢得市议会选举之前，她曾积极推动美中关系，并表示支持北京的核心目标之一——吞并台湾。但她的一些前同事表示，他们想不起任何明显的例子，证明她曾利用公职推广亲北京的观点——他们甚至根本记不起她曾有过任何强烈的观点。

“She just votes, and I don’t even remember how she votes,“ said Sharon Kwan, an Arcadia councilwoman.

“她只是投票，我甚至不记得她是怎么投的，”阿卡迪亚市议员关美满说。

Federal prosecutors have painted Ms. Wang, who pleaded guilty last month, as part of a concerted effort by Beijing to undermine American democracy. According to her plea agreement, Ms. Wang and Mike Sun operated a website, U.S. News Center, that circulated pro-Beijing propaganda at the direction of Chinese government officials from late 2020 through at least 2022.

联邦检察官称，上个月认罪的王爱琳是北京破坏美国民主这一协同行动中的一环。根据她的认罪协议，从2020年底到至少2022年，王爱琳和孙耀宁在中国政府官员的指示下，运营着一个传播亲北京宣传的网站——“美国新闻中心”。

Ms. Wang had variously described Mr. Sun as her boyfriend and fiancé. And Mr. Sun described Ms. Wang in a report for Chinese government officials as a “new political star” who had connections to higher-level American politicians, court documents show.

王爱琳曾多次将孙耀宁描述为她的男朋友和未婚夫。法院文件显示，孙耀宁在一份给中国政府官员的报告中称，王爱琳是一个与更高层美国政界人士有联系的“政治新星”。

中国最高领导人习近平于2021年在庆祝中国共产党成立100周年纪念活动上讲话。

Analysts of Chinese politics say Ms. Wang’s case reflects Beijing’s efforts to influence both local American politics and the Chinese diaspora, as seen in recent cases in New York and San Francisco. China’s goal, intelligence officials and prosecutors say, is part of a long game to cultivate ties with politicians who might someday promote Beijing’s agenda on higher levels. It is also to keep tabs on the Chinese diaspora and silence dissidents.

中国政治分析人士表示，王爱琳的案件反映了北京在影响美国地方政治和海外华人社群方面的努力，这在纽约和旧金山的近期案件中亦有体现。情报官员和检察官表示，中国的目标是开展一项长期战略，旨在与未来可能在更高层级推动北京议程的政界人士建立联系。此举也是为了监视海外华人并压制异见人士。

But as Ms. Wang’s case demonstrates, the nature and effectiveness of these efforts vary widely. What did the Chinese government see in a low-level politician? How much did Ms. Wang know about what was being relayed to Chinese officials? And was she really a rising “political star”?

但正如王爱琳的案件所表明的，这些努力的性质和成效差异巨大。中国政府为何看中这样一个低层政治人士？王爱琳对传递给中国官员的信息了解多少？她真的算是一个崛起的“政治新星”吗？

In Ms. Wang’s telling, she fell in love with the wrong guy, making her more of a puppet than a mastermind.

在王爱琳的自述中，她爱上了不该爱的人，这让她更像傀儡，而不是主谋。

Her lawyers, who declined requests for an interview with Ms. Wang, emphasized that her actions had mostly taken place before she was elected to the City Council and before she became mayor, a position council members hold on a rotating basis. And, they say, her actions were not an “inherently nefarious act” and not equivalent to spying.

她的律师拒绝了对王爱琳的采访请求，但强调她的行为大多发生在选入市议会和成为市长之前（市长一职由市议员轮流担任）。他们表示，她的行为并不是“本质上的恶意行为”，也不等同于间谍活动。

China’s influence play “is not a well-oiled machine,” said Audrye Wong, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute who studies the subject. “It relies on all these local actors that are hustling for their own personal interest.”

“中国的渗透破坏并不是一台运转良好的精密机器，”美国企业研究所研究该课题的高级研究员黄韵琪说。“它依赖于所有这些为个人利益而奔忙的地方行为者。”

The ‘Chinese Beverly Hills’

“中国的比弗利山庄”

Ms. Wang was born in the southwestern Chinese city of Chengdu in 1969 to parents who were both doctors, according to court documents and Ms. Wang’s public speeches.

根据法院文件和王爱琳的公开演讲，王爱琳于1969年出生于中国西南城市成都，父母都是医生。

She moved to the United States in 1995, and wrote on her campaign website that she had studied business management at the University of Southern California. (The university said it could not confirm her attendance.) Around 2006, she moved to Arcadia, drawn by the acclaimed schools for her two young sons, she once told The Los Angeles Times.

她于1995年移居美国，并在其竞选网站上写道，她曾在南加州大学学习商业管理。（该大学表示无法确认她的就读情况。）大约在2006年，她搬到了阿卡迪亚，她曾告诉《洛杉矶时报》，吸引她的是备受赞誉的当地学区，她认为这对她的两个年幼儿子有好处。

She was part of a wave of mainland Chinese immigrants that moved to the well-heeled suburb starting in the 2000s.

她属于21世纪初涌入这个富裕郊区的中国大陆移民潮中的一员。

China’s economic boom had created a class of overnight millionaires, many of whom looked to the San Gabriel Valley, which encompasses Arcadia, as a place to enroll their children in American schools and to safeguard their newfound wealth. These newcomers drove flashy cars and built McMansions on lots where modest ranch homes once stood.

中国的经济腾飞造就了一批一夜暴富的富豪，其中许多人将目光投向了包含阿卡迪亚在内的圣盖博谷，将其作为让子女就读美国学校和保护其新财富的理想之地。这些新移民开着豪车，在原本只有朴素平房的土地上建起了巨型豪宅。

By 2020, the city was 65 percent Asian, up from 45 percent in 2000. And it had earned a nickname: “Chinese Beverly Hills.”

到2020年，该市的亚裔人口比例从2000年的45%上升到65%。它也因此获得了一个绰号：“中国的比弗利山庄”。

Ms. Wang, whom her lawyers said was a U.S. citizen, did not appear to be part of this influx of wealth. She and her then husband, Henry Wang, ran an after-school tutoring program, Little Stanford Academy. Her address history shows a series of relatively modest homes in the area.

王爱琳的律师称她是美国公民，她似乎并不属于这股财富洪流。她和当时的丈夫亨利·王（音）开办了一家名为“小斯坦福学院”的课后辅导机构。她的住址记录显示，她在该地区居住过一系列相对朴素的住宅。

Social media posts on accounts associated with Ms. Wang suggest that she had also worked as a real estate agent and cafe owner, and participated in local organizations like the Chamber of Commerce and Rotary Club.

与王爱琳相关的社交媒体账号帖子表明，她还曾做过房地产经纪人和咖啡馆老板，并参与了商会和扶轮社等当地组织。

Thomas Beck, a retired lawyer who is also a former Arcadia mayor, recalled Ms. Wang telling him that she had divorced her husband.

退休律师、前阿卡迪亚市长托马斯·贝克回忆说，王爱琳曾告诉他，自己已经和丈夫离婚。

Reached by phone, Mr. Wang declined a request for comment.

记者通过电话联系到亨利·王时，他拒绝了置评请求。

In 2018, Ms. Wang established the American Southwest Chamber of Commerce, which promoted business and cultural ties with China. At the group’s founding ceremony, flags from both countries were arranged side-by-side, and performers sang both national anthems.

2018年，王爱琳创立了美国西南商会，旨在促进与中国的商业和文化联系。在该协会的成立典礼上，中美两国的国旗并排悬挂，表演者演奏并演唱了两国的国歌。

In remarks delivered in English, Ms. Wang noted the group’s goal to “promote the integration of Chinese immigrants into American society.” She then gave a lengthier speech in Mandarin, adding that the group was dedicated to promoting China’s “great rejuvenation” and the “peaceful reunification” of the motherland.

在用英文发表的讲话中，王女士指出该协会的目标是“促进华裔移民融入美国社会”。随后她用中文发表了更长的演说，补充说该协会致力于推动中国的“伟大复兴”以及中国的“和平统一”。

That speech echoed China’s top leader, Xi Jinping, for whom China’s “great rejuvenation” is a favorite catchphrase and mainland China’s “peaceful reunification” with Taiwan a longtime goal. Within Taiwan, the prospect of unifying with China has become increasingly unpopular, and Beijing’s growing aggression toward the island democracy has become a flashpoint in U.S.-China relations.

这番讲话呼应了中国最高领导人习近平——“伟大复兴”是他喜爱的口号，而与台湾的“和平统一”则是其长期目标。在台湾岛内，与中国统一的前景已变得越来越不受欢迎，而北京对这个岛屿民主政体日益咄咄逼人的态势已成为美中关系的一个爆发点。

In 2018, Mr. Wang’s name appeared on the nonprofit’s incorporation papers. By the next year, a local report indicated that someone else had become the chairman: Yaoning Sun, otherwise known as Mike.

2018年，亨利·王的名字出现在这个非营利组织的注册文件上。到第二年，当地报道显示，另一个人成为了主席：孙耀宁，英文名Mike。

The Boyfriend

男朋友

In the San Gabriel Valley, Mr. Sun was known for working on cultural exchanges between the United States and China.

在圣盖博谷，孙耀宁以从事美中文化交流工作而闻名。

Like many similar groups, the American Southwest Chamber of Commerce organized charity drives and events that often brought together Chinese business leaders and community figures, as well as American politicians and officials from the Chinese consulate.

与许多类似组织一样，美国西南商会组织慈善募捐和活动，这些活动常将华裔商业领袖、社区人物以及美国政界人士和中国领事馆官员聚在一起。

By 2020, Ms. Wang and Mr. Sun had started U.S. News Center, a Chinese-language website for the local Chinese American community, according to her plea agreement.

根据认罪协议，到2020年，王爱琳和孙耀宁创办了“美国新闻中心”，这是一个面向当地华裔美国人社区的中文网站。

Archived versions of the now defunct website show content much like that of other Chinese-language “news” outlets that have emerged in recent years — ranging from geopolitics to U.S. military news, film festival reports and stock market developments.

这个现已停办的网站的存档版本显示，其内容与近年来出现的其他中文“新闻”媒体非常相似——涵盖地缘政治、美国军事新闻、电影节报道以及股市动态等各个领域。

孙耀宁在中央电视台春节联欢晚会上。

Prosecutors said that Ms. Wang and Mr. Sun “executed directives” from Chinese government officials by posting pro-Beijing articles and then reporting audience numbers. It is unclear whether they were paid for their work.

检察官表示，王爱琳和孙耀宁通过发布亲北京的文章并汇报浏览量，“执行”了中国政府官员的“指令”。目前尚不清楚他们是否因此工作获得了报酬。

The propaganda is unsurprising — offering, for instance, China’s defense of its repressive crackdown on the Uyghurs.

这些宣传并不令人意外——例如，为中国对维吾尔人的镇压行为进行辩护。

In August 2021, officials complimented Ms. Wang for a post that she said had been viewed more than 15,000 times, according to the plea agreement.

根据认罪协议，2021年8月，官员赞扬了王爱琳发表的一篇帖子，她说该帖子的浏览量已超过1.5万次。

“Thank you leader,” she responded.

“谢谢领导，”她回复。

Archives show that the website also regularly published transcripts of news conferences by China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as well as political documents by the Chinese Communist Party.

档案显示，该网站还定期发布中国外交部新闻发布会的文字实录，以及中国共产党的政治文件。

Ms. Wang also appeared on the website. An October 2021 article noted her familial ties to two prominent historical figures, including an early 20th-century Communist naval commander.

王爱琳也出现在该网站上。2021年10月的一篇文章提到了她与两位著名历史人物的家族联系，其中包括20世纪初的一位共产党海军司令。

“I plan to carry forward the unfinished legacy of my revolutionary ancestors,” she was quoted as saying, and “do my best to build friendship between the U.S. and China.”

“我要继承革命先辈的遗志，”文章引用她的话说，“尽我最大努力促进中美两国的友谊。”

‘New Political Star’

“政治新星”

By 2022, Ms. Wang was campaigning for Arcadia City Council.

到2022年，王爱琳开始竞选阿卡迪亚市议员。

In an early campaign filing, she registered as a Republican, but later switched to the Democratic Party to better align with her constituents, she told The Los Angeles Times in 2024.

在一份早期竞选文件中，她注册为共和党人，但后来转为民主党人，以便更好地与她的选民保持一致，她在2024年接受《洛杉矶时报》采访时这样说。

She campaigned on improving public safety and addressing homelessness. She racked up endorsements and raised more than $119,000, an impressive haul in a race in which most candidates took in the tens of thousands. On social media, she documented enthusiastic door knocking.

她以改善公共安全和解决无家可归问题为竞选主张，获得了大量支持并筹集了超过11.9万美元，在多数候选人仅能筹得数万美元的竞选中，这一数额相当可观。在社交媒体上，她记录了自己充满热情的登门拜访。

Mr. Sun was listed as her campaign treasurer. By late 2022, he was also described as her fiancé.

孙耀宁被列为她的竞选财务主管。到2022年底，他也被称为她的未婚夫。

In a December 2022 speech when she was sworn into the City Council, Ms. Wang thanked “my fiancé, director Mike Sun, who walked the streets with me every single day, who is a real leader of me.”

在2022年12月宣誓就职市议会的演讲中，王爱琳感谢了“我的未婚夫，迈克·孙主管，他每天都陪我走上街头，他是我真正的领导者。”

The day after she was sworn in, Ms. Wang attended a meeting in Southern California that included Mr. Sun, according to court documents.

法院文件显示，在她宣誓就职的第二天，王爱琳出席了在南加州举行的一场会议，孙耀宁也参加了该会议。

John Chen, who had been known as an overseas consultant to the Chinese government, later described the group to Chinese government officials as a “team dedicated” to Beijing’s interests, according to court documents. (Mr. Chen was sentenced in 2024 to 20 months in prison for acting as an illegal foreign agent.)

根据法院文件显示，曾被视为中国政府海外顾问的陈军后来向中国政府官员描述，他们这伙人是一个“致力于”北京利益的“团队”。（陈军因充当非法外国代理人于2024年被判处20个月监禁。）

Mr. Sun later drafted a report that described Ms. Wang as a “new political star,” and a list of U.S. officials she was “familiar” with, court documents show.

法院文件显示，孙耀宁随后起草了一份报告，将王爱琳描述为“政治新星”，并列出了她所“熟悉”的美国官员名单。

In conversations with Chinese government officials, the men claimed credit for Ms. Wang’s election victory, court documents show.

法院文件显示，在与中国政府官员的交谈中，这两个人声称王爱琳的当选是他们的功劳。

It is unclear whether, or to what extent, Ms. Wang was aware of this communication. “I think we should not let her know for now,” Mr. Chen told Mr. Sun in a February 2023 audio message.

目前尚不清楚王爱琳是否知晓、或在多大程度上知晓这些沟通。“我认为目前不应该让她知道，”陈军在2023年2月的一条音频信息中对孙耀宁说。

The Fall

倒台

As an Arcadia councilwoman, Ms. Wang attended the city’s Christmas tree lighting and supported veterans programs, according to social media posts and interviews with other council members.

根据社交媒体上的帖子以及对其他市议员的采访，作为阿卡迪亚市议员，王爱琳参加了该市的圣诞树点灯仪式和支持退伍军人项目。

Her City Council colleagues noted Ms. Wang’s seemingly boundless enthusiasm for showing up to events. In the beginning, Mr. Sun was often around, said April Verlato, a former mayor who was on the council with Ms. Wang.

她的市议会同事注意到，王爱琳对出席活动有着似乎无限的热情。曾与王爱琳一同在市议会共事的前市长阿普里尔·维尔拉托表示，刚开始的时候，孙耀宁经常在场。

“He took her to everything,” Ms. Verlato recalled.

“他带她去参加所有活动，”维尔拉托回忆道。

Contentious China-related issues almost never rose to the council agenda, colleagues said.

同事们说，涉及中国的争议性议题几乎从未被列入市议会议程。

王爱琳，摄于2025年4月。

Privately, Ms. Wang continued promoting her commerce group. In February 2023, she went to Boca Raton, Fla., to attend a small gathering of leaders from overseas Chinese groups and officials from the Chinese Embassy in Washington, according to an article from an online Chinese-language account.

据某中文网络账号的一篇文章称，王爱琳私下里继续推广她的商业团体，2023年2月，她前往佛罗里达州博卡拉顿，参加了海外华人社团领袖与中国驻华盛顿大使馆官员的一个小型聚会。

In July 2023, Ms. Wang officially stepped down from her position as president. At the annual conference in California, which was well attended by local elected officials, American and Chinese flags were once again displayed side-by-side. Mr. Sun was noted as the director of the ceremony.

2023年7月，王爱琳正式卸任会长职务。在加利福尼亚州举行的年会上（有很多当地民选官员出席），美国国旗和中国国旗再次并排悬挂。孙耀宁据称是此次典礼的总监。

Ms. Wang and Mr. Sun maintained ties through at least September 2023, when they traveled together to Los Angeles from a trip to China, court documents showed. The documents do not specify the purpose of the trip.

法院文件显示，王爱琳和孙耀宁至少在2023年9月前一直保持着联系，当时他们一同从中国旅行返回洛杉矶。文件没有说明那次旅行的目的。

Then, in December 2024, federal prosecutors announced charges against Mr. Sun, who later pleaded guilty to acting as an illegal agent of a foreign government. He was sentenced in February to 48 months in federal prison. Adam Olin, Mr. Sun’s public defender, declined a request for comment.

随后，在2024年12月，联邦检察官宣布了对孙耀宁的指控，孙耀宁后来承认充当外国政府非法代理人的罪名。他于2月被判处48个月的联邦监禁。孙耀宁的公共辩护人亚当·奥林拒绝了置评请求。

As Mr. Sun’s legal troubles grew, Ms. Wang tried to distance herself from him.

随着孙耀宁的法律麻烦不断增加，王爱琳试图与他拉开距离。

During a City Council meeting in September, Ms. Wang reversed course from her previous statements, flatly denying that Mr. Sun had ever been her fiancé. He was now her “ex-boyfriend,” and she dared anyone to suggest otherwise.

在9月份的一次市议会会议上，王爱琳推翻了她先前的言论，断然坚称孙耀宁从不是她的未婚夫。他现在是她的“前男友”，并且向质疑者挑战。

“Please prove it,” Ms. Wang said.

“请拿出证据来，”王爱琳说。

“I am very proud of myself,” she went on to say. “I always stand with our country.”

“我为自己感到非常自豪，”她接着说。“我始终与我们的国家站在一起。”