Arthur Liu arrived in the United States in the late 1980s seeking political asylum, fleeing China after participating in pro-democracy movements. Nearly four decades later, Beijing's intelligence apparatus found him in California – and targeted him through his daughter's Olympic dreams.
Federal prosecutors revealed February 19 that Liu, father of U.S. Olympic figure skater Alysa Liu, was the subject of a sustained Chinese intelligence operation aimed at forcing the family's return to China or silencing criticism of Beijing. The case, disclosed in court filings related to espionage charges against two Chinese nationals, illustrates how transnational repression now reaches second-generation Americans through their most personal achievements.
Alysa Liu became the youngest U.S. women's figure skating champion in history at age 13 in 2019. She competed at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, finishing seventh. According to USA Today, Chinese intelligence services saw her prominence as leverage against her father.
The revelation emerged from the prosecution of two men charged with acting as unregistered foreign agents for China's Ministry of State Security. Court documents show the operatives surveilled the Liu family, compiled dossiers on Arthur Liu's political activities, and discussed ways to "bring him back" to China or neutralize his advocacy for democracy.
From Tiananmen to the Olympics
Arthur Liu left China in the aftermath of the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown, when the Chinese Communist Party violently suppressed pro-democracy protests in Beijing. He settled in the San Francisco Bay Area, became a U.S. citizen, and raised five children – including Alysa, his youngest.
He never stopped advocating for democratic reforms in China. That persistence, combined with his daughter's Olympic profile, made the family a target.
Chinese intelligence operations against diaspora communities have intensified under Xi Jinping's leadership, according to U.S. counterintelligence assessments. The tactics range from social pressure through relatives still in China, to direct surveillance and intimidation in the United States. The Liu case represents what analysts call "hostage diplomacy by proxy" – using family members' achievements or vulnerabilities to coerce compliance.
"They wanted to use Alysa's success to control Arthur," one federal law enforcement official told reporters, speaking on condition of anonymity because the investigation remains active. "The message was: your daughter's Olympic moment can be celebrated or destroyed, depending on your cooperation."
The two Chinese nationals charged – whose names prosecutors have not publicly released pending additional arrests – allegedly operated from New York and California between 2018 and 2022, the period spanning Alysa Liu's rise through junior championships to her Olympic debut.
Second-generation Americans as pressure points
The Liu family's experience reflects a broader pattern of Beijing extending authoritarian control beyond China's borders. Similar operations have targeted Uyghur Americans, Tibetan activists, Hong Kong pro-democracy advocates, and families of Chinese dissidents.
What distinguishes the Liu case is the youth of the target and the exploitation of athletic achievement. Alysa Liu was 16 when she competed at the Beijing Olympics – the same city where her father's political awakening occurred 33 years earlier.
The Chinese government has denied running intelligence operations targeting U.S. citizens, calling such accusations "groundless slander." The Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not respond to requests for comment on the Liu case.
U.S. officials say the charges represent a small fraction of Chinese intelligence activity on American soil. The FBI's counterintelligence division has stated that it opens a new China-related investigation approximately every 10 hours.
For Arthur Liu, the revelation brings mixed emotions. His daughter achieved her Olympic dream, but the cost included living under surveillance during what should have been the proudest moments of her young life.
Alysa Liu retired from competitive skating in 2022 at age 16, citing a desire to pursue education and a more normal teenage life. Whether the intelligence operation influenced that decision remains unclear. The family has declined to comment publicly, citing the ongoing investigation.
Watch what they do, not what they say. In East Asian diplomacy, the subtext is the text – and in this case, the subtext is that no achievement, no generation removed, places families beyond Beijing's reach.
