Communist China’s henchmen caught red-handed on American soil trying to silence a brave artist who dared mock Xi Jinping with satirical statues.
At a Glance
- Two foreign nationals arrested in Serbia following U.S. extradition request for harassing a Los Angeles artist critical of Xi Jinping
- Chinese national Cui Guanghai allegedly acted on behalf of the Chinese government, directing British national John Miller to orchestrate intimidation campaign
- Plot included surveillance, property damage, and destruction of satirical statues depicting Xi Jinping
- The “hired muscle” were actually undercover FBI agents who documented the entire foreign intimidation scheme
- Suspects paid $36,500 to prevent display of satirical statues of Xi Jinping and his wife
China’s Long Arm of Intimidation Reaches American Streets
When an artist in Los Angeles decided to exercise his constitutionally-protected right to criticize Communist China’s dictator Xi Jinping through satirical statues, Beijing apparently couldn’t handle the mockery. Rather than respecting American sovereignty and free speech principles, China’s regime allegedly dispatched a cross-continental goon squad to silence this brave artist on U.S. soil. This isn’t just criminal harassment – it’s an authoritarian regime extending its censorship beyond its borders to attack American freedoms directly. The audacity is breathtaking, and if not for the FBI’s intervention, who knows how far this intimidation campaign might have gone.
“The victim had previously made public statements in opposition to the policies and actions of the PRC [People’s Republic of China] government and President Xi” – federal authorities
According to federal prosecutors, Chinese national Cui Guanghai was “acting at the direction and control” of the Chinese government when he recruited British national John Miller to coordinate the harassment campaign. Their elaborate scheme included hiring people to stalk the artist, damage his property, and destroy his satirical statues of Xi Jinping. In a delicious twist of irony that would make the Founding Fathers smile, the two thugs Cui and Miller hired to do their dirty work were actually an undercover FBI agent and a confidential FBI source. The communist regime’s attempt to export its censorship to American shores was documented every step of the way.
Beijing’s Playbook: From Protests to Property Damage
The intimidation campaign against this American artist wasn’t just a one-off incident but part of a broader pattern of Chinese interference on U.S. soil. Court documents reveal Miller also organized staged protests in America, including demonstrations against Taiwan’s president during an April 2023 visit. Once again, the FBI was one step ahead, with their confidential source hiring actors to pose as protestors while documenting the entire foreign-directed charade. These fake demonstrations were then recorded and shared online as supposed “proof” of American opposition to Taiwan – when in reality, they were orchestrated by foreign agents.
“on behalf of the PRC government” – U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California
The harassment intensified in October 2023 when the artist planned to protest Xi Jinping’s visit to the APEC summit in San Francisco. That’s when the alleged Chinese agents directed their “hired muscle” to surveil the victim, install a tracking device on his car, slash his tires, and destroy his artistic statues of Xi. The campaign continued into spring 2025, when the artist announced plans to release a video featuring new satirical statues of Xi and his wife. Court records show the suspects paid $36,500 to prevent the display of these statues – money that ultimately went straight into the FBI’s operation.
America Strikes Back Against Foreign Intimidation
In a rare win for American sovereignty, Cui and Miller were arrested in Serbia on April 24, with the U.S. government now seeking their extradition to face justice. They’re charged with conspiracy and interstate stalking, carrying a potential five-year prison sentence. While that punishment seems light compared to the assault on our constitutional rights, it’s refreshing to see America standing up to China’s increasingly brazen attempts to control speech beyond its borders. Every American should be outraged that foreign dictatorships think they can export their censorship to our shores.
“A similar scheme took place in the spring of 2025, after the victim announced that he planned to make public an online video feed depicting two new artistic statutes of President Xi and his wife” – the statement
This case exposes the grave reality of what security experts call “transnational repression” – authoritarian regimes reaching across borders to silence critics. While our current administration seems perfectly content to let millions of unknown individuals stream across our southern border, at least some parts of our government are still working to protect American citizens from foreign threats. One has to wonder how many more foreign intimidation schemes are operating undetected on American soil, and whether our government has the resources – or the will – to stop them all. The American tradition of free speech is worth defending, especially against Communist regimes that fear nothing more than mockery of their divine leader.
