type
status
date
slug
summary
tags
category
icon
password
Bob Fu, Chen Guangcheng, and the “Jinyue Incident”: A Crisis and Reflection on Overseas Chinese Dissident Groups
Chen Guangcheng is widely known as a blind, self-taught “barefoot lawyer” from rural Shandong, China. He was long persecuted by the Chinese government for his opposition to the country’s one-child policy. In April 2012, with the help of human rights lawyers, he escaped from house arrest and fled to the U.S. Embassy in Beijing. The dramatic escape quickly attracted international media attention and triggered a diplomatic standoff between China and the United States.
Shortly afterward, Chen left the embassy, and high-level negotiations between China and the U.S. ensued over his future. At this sensitive moment, the U.S. Congress held a special hearing for Chen. At the hearing, one Chinese face stood out—Bob Fu (Fu Xiqiu), a prominent Chinese-American pastor and president of ChinaAid.
Fu, reportedly a participant in the 1989 student movement, later taught at the Beijing Party School. In 1996, after converting to Christianity, he was placed under house arrest by Chinese authorities. Upon release, he and his wife fled to Hong Kong and eventually emigrated to the U.S. In 2002, he founded ChinaAid, a nonprofit organization aimed at helping Chinese families persecuted for their faith, as well as political dissidents like Chen Guangcheng.
At the 2012 hearing, Fu called Chen directly from the floor to express his support. Soon after, Chen successfully arrived in the U.S., where he published books, founded a foundation, and became a well-known speaker and figure in the overseas dissident community.
Meanwhile, Bob Fu continued appearing at Congressional hearings in the name of ChinaAid, advocating for Chinese dissidents. However, in early 2024, both Fu and Chen found themselves at the center of a scandal—the “Jinyue incident.”
The “Jinyue Incident”: From Online Investigation to Death Threats
During the 2024 U.S. election season, political divisions over Trump’s candidacy deepened. In the anti-Trump camp was a Chinese netizen named Jinyue, known for debunking disinformation on social media.
In one post, she refuted a rumor that Ukraine’s Zelensky owned a $20 million mansion in the U.S.—a claim that Bob Fu had shared. This drew her attention to Fu’s financial situation, prompting a deeper investigation.
Jinyue discovered that Fu and his organization collectively owned five properties valued at approximately $2.8 million, while his and his wife’s annual income was only around $100,000 before taxes. In the context of American living expenses, this seemed suspicious. Reviewing ChinaAid’s IRS Form 990s, she found abnormally high spending on IT services, accounting fees, and travel.
She also accused Fu of “selective rescue”—favoring famous dissidents like Wang Jingyu (later exposed as a fraud) and even defending corrupt CCP officials like Li Chuanliang, suspected of seeking political asylum through questionable means.
She shared her findings in a series of audio spaces. But on March 24, the situation took a dark turn.
Threats and Harassment: The “Moses” Account
That morning, a Twitter user named “Moses” began posting threatening comments under Jinyue’s threads. He revealed her city of residence, posted a satellite image of her house, and even shared a photo of Jinyue with her daughter—later changing his profile picture to the child’s face.
Moses wrote, “I’ll give you two hours to apologize and delete your posts. Otherwise...” He also hinted at past incidents in Texas, implying he had let her go once before. Terrified, Jinyue declared she was leaving Twitter due to personal threats and imminent danger.
What was especially chilling: “Moses” was a newly created account, and its only followers were Bob Fu and Chen Guangcheng. How did they find this anonymous account so quickly? How did Moses obtain a private photo of Jinyue’s daughter that she barely remembered posting—possibly years ago on WeChat?
Later that day, Jinyue publicly apologized to Fu and Chen and deleted all her posts. The next day, someone using her son’s name announced her social media accounts were being shut down, and that she had been hospitalized. Shortly after, rumors spread that she had died—whether real or staged remains unclear.
The 990 Form: Legal, But Not Reasonable?
Other users continued investigating ChinaAid’s financial disclosures. In 2023, the organization raised $2.54 million, yet only 45% went toward aid. The rest—over half—was spent on salaries, travel, and services.
Most notably, their CEO, Brad, earned $90,000 annually for just two hours of work per week—equivalent to a $2 million full-time salary. Inconsistent accounting fees ($48,000 in 2022 vs. $19,000 in 2023), $40,000 annually in IT costs, and large unexplained “contractor” payments raised further red flags.
Unlike groups such as Humanitarian China, which transparently wire funds to verified recipients in China using platforms like Alipay or PayPal, Fu’s organization claims all aid is distributed in cash—leaving no audit trail. In fact, after 2022, ChinaAid stopped publishing the number of families it helped altogether, even as its donations surged.
Li Chuanliang and the “Asylum Industry”
Bob Fu has testified for Li Chuanliang multiple times in Congress, praising him as a whistleblower and a victim of CCP persecution. However, Li was once a CCP official and fled China in 2008 after being accused of corruption.
After arriving in the U.S., Li joined the China Democracy Party and began criticizing the CCP—raising suspicions about whether his “dissidence” was genuine or just a strategy to secure asylum. One website Fu cited in Congress—China Tyrant Accountability Center, supposedly founded by Li—was empty and “under construction” for years.
Worse, Li’s co-founder was Zheng Cunzhu, head of the China Democracy Party’s West Coast chapter—and an immigration lawyer specializing in asylum cases. The implication is clear: Fu’s testimony, paired with political connections and legal assistance, may be part of a broader “asylum industry” helping CCP officials pose as persecuted dissidents.
Conclusion: Dissidents Must Also Be Held Accountable
In 2012, Chen Guangcheng tearfully pleaded for help from inside China. Today, he lives in a mansion reportedly worth $1.4 million. His foundation has no transparent finances. Bob Fu, meanwhile, commands millions annually in donations—yet resists public scrutiny.
When questioned, Chen labels critics as “Communist agents,” and Fu (via “Moses”) allegedly resorts to threats instead of accountability. Ironically, the behavior mirrors that of the authoritarian regime they claim to oppose.
So the question arises: Are they truly against authoritarianism—or just against not being in power?
As the saying goes: “If you fight the CCP using CCP methods, it means nothing for the cause of Chinese democracy.”
- 作者:Xlens
- 链接:https://www.xlens.online/article/1c7decdd-9dc2-80e3-8d60-ddc22eee1eee
- 声明:本文采用 CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 许可协议，转载请注明出处。