Federal charges against an NYPD officer accused of spying on behalf of China are “pure fabrication,” the Communist nation claimed Tuesday.
“The relevant accusations made by the U.S. side are pure fabrication,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin told reporters at a daily briefing Tuesday, according to Fox.
“The U.S. plot to discredit the Chinese consulate and personnel in the United States will not succeed.”
Baimadajie Angwang, a now-suspended police officer in Queens’ 111th Precinct, was arrested Monday following a years-long federal investigation. Prosecutors allege the 33-year-old has been gathering information on Tibetans and recruiting potential intelligence sources for a contact inside China’s Manhattan consulate since at least 2018.
The married cop, who lives on Long Island, has been charged with acting as an agent of a foreign government, obstruction, wire fraud and making false statements.
Wenbin said the indictment against Angwang was filled with hedging terms like “seems” and “possibly,” which gave him the impression that prosecutors struggled to make a case, the outlet reported.
The International Campaign for Tibet said in a statement that the case against Angwang shows the depth of China’s nefarious intentions.
“Chinese Communist Party is engaged in malign operations to suppress dissent, not only in Tibet … but any place in the world where Tibetans are free to express themselves,” the advocacy group said.
Tibet and China have been locked in a struggle since the Communist nation invaded the Himalayan region in 1950.
Previously, Tibet considered itself autonomous, but Beijing has considered the region part of China for hundreds of years. The Red Dragon has been accused of trying to wipe out Tibet’s Buddhist language and culture while exploiting its natural resources.
Beijing on Tuesday was accused of conscripting 500,000 Tibetan farmers into a forced labor and “enforced indoctrination” program.