Summary: Retired Chinese official Li Chuanliang says he was pursued across countries by Chinese authorities who used advanced surveillance systems — including analytics tied to software from U.S. vendors — to monitor his communications, freeze assets and detain more than 40 relatives. AP documents and leaked materials show how link-analysis and big-data tools were adapted for campaigns known as "Fox Hunt" and "Sky Net." Lawyers and experts describe legal irregularities and coercion in Li’s case; Li continues to speak out from the U.S., warning of the dangers of cross-border electronic surveillance.
How U.S. Tech Was Used to Track a Chinese Whistleblower Abroad — AP Investigation
Former Chinese official Li Chuanliang walks between buildings in the Mayflower Church community, in Midland, Texas, Jan. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
Retired Chinese official Li Chuanliang fled to the United States after being photographed and pursued while recuperating in South Korea. According to interviews and documents reviewed by The Associated Press, Chinese authorities continued to track his movements, monitor his communications, freeze assets and pressure family members using sophisticated surveillance systems — some built on software developed or adapted from U.S. technology.
The Pursuit
Li says more than 40 friends and relatives were identified and detained — including his pregnant daughter — and some were located by tracing taxi drivers through facial recognition. He reports shadowy figures tailing him in multiple countries and that three former associates later died in detention. "They track you 24 hours a day. All your electronics, your phone — they’ll use every method to find you," Li told AP.
The Technology Behind the Hunt
AP reviewed hundreds of leaked emails, procurement records and internal slides showing how analytics and link-analysis software can mine texts, payments, flight records, phone logs and government databases to map relationships and assets. Internal materials and procurement records indicate firms including IBM, Oracle and Microsoft sold or had their products used by Chinese agencies. IBM has said it sold the business unit that made the i2 link-analysis product in 2022 and maintains controls on responsible use.
“A fugitive is like a kite: he may be abroad, but the string is in China,” a Chinese police captain said in state media, describing the strategy of pressuring relatives to locate targets overseas.
Li’s Background And The Charges
Li rose through financial posts in Jixi, Heilongjiang, and later became vice mayor. He says he exposed local corruption and resigned from the Communist Party after concluding the system was corrupt. Beijing has accused Li of embezzling roughly 3.1 billion RMB (about $435 million) and says it seized more than 1,000 properties linked to him. Li denies the criminal charges and says he is being punished chiefly for speaking out. Lawyers who reviewed the records told AP they found anomalies, coercive confessions and blocked access to evidence.
Operations ‘Fox Hunt’ and ‘Sky Net’
Beijing describes those overseas efforts as anti-corruption campaigns. State accounts say more than 14,000 people have been returned from over 120 countries through a mix of coercion, arrests and pressure on relatives. U.S. officials have criticized such operations as a threat to sovereignty and as targeting political dissidents in addition to genuine corruption suspects.
U.S. Reaction And Legal Steps
U.S. authorities have warned about Chinese efforts to intimidate or surveil people inside the United States. An FBI letter identified Li as a potential victim of a crime involving an unregistered foreign agent. Interpol temporarily received a Red Notice request for Li in 2021 but later retracted it after Li filed a challenge. Li’s asylum prospects are uncertain amid shifting U.S. policies on asylum processing.
Human Costs And Broader Concerns
AP reporting documents intimidation of relatives, denial of medical care for detained family members, and harassment of lawyers attempting to represent Li. The case underscores how tools developed for legitimate law-enforcement or business analytics can be repurposed — through local customization and resellers — to enable cross-border surveillance and political repression.
Where Li Is Now
From Texas, Li continues to speak publicly — posting on YouTube and giving interviews — even as he faces the prospect of legal action in China. "Electronic surveillance is the arteries for China to project power into the world," he said. "Each step that every one of your relatives takes is being monitored and analyzed with big data. It's absolutely terrifying."
Note: This article synthesizes AP reporting, leaked corporate and procurement documents, legal records and interviews with lawyers and experts. Companies named have provided statements or declined to comment.
