China’s New York envoy ‘performing his duties as usual’ after Chinese agent case, Beijing’s consulate says

China’s consulate in New York has denied reports that its top diplomat was removed in the aftermath of an alleged Chinese agent bust, saying the consul general is “performing his duties as usual.”

China’s consulate in New York has denied reports that its top diplomat was removed in the aftermath of an alleged Chinese agent bust, saying the consul general is “performing his duties as usual.” The statement appears to contradict remarks made earlier by New York Gov. Kathy Hochul – whose former aide was charged with acting as an agent for the Chinese government – and the State Department, which claimed the Chinese envoy had left his position. “Consul General Huang Ping is performing his duties as usual. We hope the media will refrain from sensationalizing false information,” a spokesperson for the Chinese Consulate General in New York told CNN in a statement Wednesday. Hours later, the consulate published a press release on its website with photos showing Huang busy at work on Tuesday. In the photos, Huang was seen visiting the Philadelphia home of a former American pilot who helped China to fight Japan during World War II. The envoy’s employment status was first thrown into the spotlight after Linda Sun, a former aide to Hochul and her predecessor Gov. Andrew Cuomo, was charged on Tuesday with secretly acting as an agent of the Chinese government. Sun was charged with violating and conspiring to violate the Foreign Agents Registrations Act, visa fraud, alien smuggling and conspiracy to launder money, according to an unsealed copy of the indictment.