A former US telecom worker was sentenced to four years in prison on Monday for giving information about Chinese dissidents and members of the Falun Gong religious group to Beijing.

In a plea deal, Florida resident Ping Li, 59, acknowledged conspiring to pose as an unregistered agent of the Chinese government. Ping gave China's Ministry of State Security (MSS) confidential company information and revealed the personal information of a Florida-based Falun Gong member, according to Voice of America. The spiritual organisation known as Falun Gong is prohibited in China, where it has been branded an "evil cult" since ten thousand adherents peacefully demonstrated outside a Beijing government facility in 1999.

Li, who moved to the US from China, worked for major US telecom and tech companies. According to the Justice Department, he gathered information starting in 2012, following orders from officers of China’s Ministry of State Security (MSS). The data he collected included details about Chinese dissidents, pro-democracy activists, Falun Gong followers, and US-based NGOs. His actions are part of a larger effort by China to target dissidents, especially Falun Gong practitioners, who face severe persecution.

Separately, a 71-year-old Chinese man from Los Angeles named John Chen was sentenced to 20 months in prison last week for allegedly participating in a scheme to target Falun Gong adherents in the United States. Chen was also found guilty of serving as an unregistered Chinese government agent. Ping Li's case and John Chen's conviction serve as examples of China's growing use of human intelligence operatives and clandestine operations to repress foreign opponents. Li and Chen were both found guilty of serving as unregistered Chinese government agents, which is indicative of an increasing practice of using Chinese immigrants and citizens as middlemen in espionage operations against other nations.

These cases highlight ongoing concerns about Chinese spying in the US, especially targeting groups like Falun Gong, which the Chinese government sees as a threat to its power. These actions are part of China's larger plan to increase its influence and stop political opposition globally, a strategy that has become more advanced and widespread in recent years.